Minerva's First Year Teaching
by MaritimeStars
Summary: A story about three best friends and their first year working at Hogwarts: Minerva McGonagall, Poppy Pomfrey, and Rolanda Hooch. Follow the three friends through an adventurous year containing an epidemic, teaching, flying classes and new boyfriends.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I don't own any of it, JK Rowling does. I hope you like it!

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Minerva walked into the classroom, anxious about her first year of teaching, but happy that she was also going to have some teachers her age around. The Headmaster had been so kind as to offer all of her friends jobs – Poppy was now working as the assistant Healer until she obtained her Medi-Witch license and Rolanda was going to be joining them as the flying instructor, soon as her season with the Harpies was over.

When Professor Dippet had retired, Professor Dumbledore, her Transfiguration teacher, had taken over his post as the Headmaster. Now, the school needed a new Transfiguration teacher, and Minerva, fresh out of her Mastery in the subject, had eagerly applied. She had always wanted to teach, but she was still nervous.

The night before, she had moved in to her personal quarters, which, for the time being, she was sharing with her best friend Poppy. The school year was fast approaching, and she only had a week left to get everything organized in her classroom and in her office. Despite that fact that she had a headache, she unpacked her office and set about to clean everything before the staff meeting that was at two o'clock.

'Walking into the staff room for the first time as a full staff member is an exhilarating feeling,' Minerva thought. As head girl, she had been in it a few times to find a teacher.

Once they were all seated, and introductions had gone around, Dumbledore had started his first staff meeting. As he talked about special problems that specific first years might have, or new dangers the gamekeeper had found in the Forbidden Forest, Minerva had found herself staring out the cathedral window, rather than paying attention.

'Are meetings always this boring?' she wondered to herself, and she could see from across the table that Poppy was doodling something. Along with her amazing talent for healing, Poppy also could draw really well and had been known to draw a very detailed sketch through class, instead of actually listen to a teacher.

Once the meeting had been dismissed, the two new staff members met up.

"Minnie, you look exhausted! What have you been doing all day?" Poppy exclaimed, as they walked out into the hallway.

"Moving things. We should probably go back to our quarters and finish unpacking," she replied with an even voice, long used to her friend's worrisome nature.

"Yes, we should, but only if you aren't too tired, you don't want to become sick right before all the students get here," Poppy lectured her but the Transfiguration teacher just rolled her eyes and kept walking.

Their quarters had been decorated in a light pale yellow. When they had arrived at the school, the Headmaster had informed them that there was currently only one living space available, but it had traditionally been for a teacher who had a family. The two new teachers had decided to share quarters, because they were still single and wanted to keep each other company. If they had separate quarters, they would always be over each other's quarters anyway, so why bother living apart?They had lived with each other for seven years already, and were looking forward to more. When Rolanda joined them, they hadn't decided if they would ask the Headmaster for a third bedroom onto the quarters they have, or if they would separate themselves out. Since the rooms used to be for a family, they had a large living room with a small kitchen off to one side, as well as two bedrooms. The Headmaster had added an extra entrance to the living room, which lead directly to the Hospital Wing, a measure designed specifically for Poppy, so that she would be able to get to the Hospital Wing in case of an emergency. There were two comfortable chairs in front of the fireplace, as well as a couch. Bookcases lined the wall of the living room, and Minerva had plans to line those soon with many different kinds of books.

Right now, there was a large stack of boxes in the center of the living room. After they had walked in, Minerva pointed her wand at the fireplace and soon a small, but pleasant, fire was going. They walked over to the boxes and sorted them out. About an hour later, thanks to magic, everything had been put away. On the mantel was a picture of the three best friends on graduation day, laughing and smiling. There was a painting of Minerva's father above the fireplace. Since she was now the sole McGonagall, and also had the manor and estate to manage, she needed a monitoring system that she could easily access from Hogwarts.

Now, their quarters truly felt like home. Poppy had decorated her bedroom in the yellow and black tradition of Hufflepuff, and even had brought her stuffed badger back with her. The walls were a brighter yellow than the walls of their living room, and the canopy on her bed was black and gold, with gold curtains. A soft, plush yellow carpet finished off the room.

In between the bedrooms, was a spacious bathroom, which included two sinks and a large bathtub. It wasn't as large as the one in the prefect's bathroom but it still produced the bubbles. A shower stood off to one corner.

Minerva's bedroom was also painted in her house's colors. The canopy was red and gold, with dark red carpeting. She opted to not have curtains on her bed, they just annoyed her. Her room was kept exceptionally tidy, for she was naturally a neat person.

By the time they were done packing, it was time to go up to dinner in the Great Hall. They chatted amicably throughout dinner with their colleagues. By the time, they returned to their quarters, Minerva was exhausted and she went straight to bed. Poppy chuckled to herself, knowing how hard Minerva liked to work, but at the same time worried that her best friend was going to overwork herself and get ill.

Over the next week, both worked hard to make sure that everything was ready. In addition to her regular duties as a teacher, she had been made the Head of House for Gryffindor and had to ensure that the dorms were ready for the students.

By the time that the new students were lead into the hall by the Deputy Headmaster, Professor Slughorn, she felt that she had already been at Hogwarts for a month. She was ready for the year to begin, and ready to start teaching.

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AN: Thank you to HealerPomfrey for proofreading this! Please **read and review**! Any suggestions, comments or ideas from readers would be appreciated and taken into consideration.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you to Healer Pomfrey, RitaVanCartier, and yaoilover6969 who were the only people who reviewed!

I don't own anything, that all belongs to JK Rowling.

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"Wow, a whole month has passed since I started teaching" Minerva thought to herself as she rolled out of bed on October 1st. The month had flown by, she seemed that she was always busy with teaching, grading or duties. Just last night, she had to break up a duel between two of third years, sending them both to detention, and then she had gone to file a report with the Headmaster. She hadn't gone to bed until after 2:30 AM, even though she had intended to be done with her rounds and in bed by midnight.

Minerva finished dressing in her teaching robes and pulled her hair up into a tight bun. She had thirty minutes until breakfast started but she wanted to go over her lesson plans one more time. Walking into her classroom, she looked over her desk. With a swish of her wand, the notes for her first class, Gryffindor and Slytherin first years, appeared on the board. They were going to transform matches into needles today, it was only their third practical lesson. After making sure she had everything until lunch she headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Madame Pomfrey, however, was having a very busy night. Her shift started at ten PM and went until after breakfast, normally considered a time when very few people would come in, and she would normally get a decent amount of sleep on her shift. Last night, however, a duel had broken out and she had to fix up the two patients, without having them attack each other again. She had sent them back to their respective dormitories by two, but just as they were leaving, a first year Hufflepuff was brought in by Professor Sprout with a very bad case of the flu. That patient had a taken up the rest of her night, because she required constant monitoring due to her high fever.

"Good Morning, Poppy" her mentor and boss said, as she walked into their shared office.

"Good Morning, Madame Joyce," she replied, as she finished writing her report on the little girl's file.

"How was your night? Busy? I heard there was a duel," she mentioned, and with a quick tap of her wand, breakfast for the two of them appeared on the table. It was their custom to share breakfast, in order to talk to each other about different cases they were monitoring.

"Quite a nasty duel involving James Hurley and Richard Budger, both third years. They managed to both become injured, but, fortunately, neither one was seriously injured and I was able to treat them both and then release them. However, Jane over there, has a very nasty case of the flu and I have had to monitor her continuously since Pomona brought her in," Poppy replied, before she began eating her simple breakfast of oatmeal and toast.

"It seems like you are doing a pretty good job handling the night cases then. When are you going to be taking your Medi-Witch exam? I am quite looking forward to retirement," the current Healer asked.

"Next month," was all she said. Once all of the work related discussion had been finished, they moved on to lighter subjects. Breakfast was eaten quickly and then Poppy headed back to her quarters to sleep the rest of the morning.

During lunch, Minvera stopped by her quarters to check on her friend Poppy. She knew that they had both had a long night, but she also knew that Poppy had to get up in time to make more potions for the Hospital Wing. Along with the night shift in the Infirmary, Poppy was also responsible for keeping Potions stock of the Hospital Wing up to date.

"Poppy, are you awake yet?" she called as they entered their shared quarters, and walked through the living room and gently tapped on her best friend's door.

"Minerva?" she heard a hoarse voice call from inside the room.

"Yes, Poppy?" Minerva answered back, as she gently pushed open the door.

"Poppy! You look awful!" she exclaimed once she got the door fully opened and was able to take in her friend's glassy eyes and flushed face.

"I'm fine Minerva, I was just wondering how much longer I had until I had to be up to go make the potions" Poppy retorted, for even though she was in training to be a Medi-Witch, she hated being fussed over when she was sick, not that she was currently sick.

"Lunch will be over in about forty minutes. Madame Joyce stopped me in the hallway and asked that you be ready at about one-thirty to make potions, is that alright?"Minerva asked gently, knowing how hard her friend had worked over the past month. It was not uncommon for her friend to pull an all-nighter sitting up with a sick student to spend the whole day making the potions for the same sick student.

"So that leaves me with another hour I could use for sleeping, correct? Good night then," Poppy said before she rolled over and went back to sleep.

Gently sighing to herself, Minerva walked back up to the Great Hall where she ate lunch and enjoyed a discussion about what her Transfiguration Students were learning with the Headmaster. The Headmaster was her role model as a teacher and she had wanted his input on a few things.

Just before her next Transfiguration class, containing fourth year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, Minerva went into her quarters. Before she could knock on her friend's door, she heard a harsh cough coming from the other side of the room.

A hesitant "come in" was called when the Transfiguration teacher gently knocked on the door. Walking into the room, she was not surprised to see her friend still in bed, despite the fact that the apprentice Medi-Witch had to be in the Infirmary in a half hour.

"You should get up so that you can go brew those potions," Minerva stated softly, although there was a very faint smirk on her face. It was obvious to her, and would be obvious to Madame Joyce, that Poppy was sick. And, after all the lecturing Poppy had given Minerva about overworking herself so much that she would become sick, Poppy had gotten sick from overwork herself.

"Yes, mother" Poppy retorted sharply, annoyed that she had been woken up, and even more annoyed that she had to go brew those potions. While very good at potions in school, the Medi-Witch-to-be was never very fond of brewing.

"Do you expect to eat dinner in the Great Hall this evening? Or will your brewing keep you from it?" the Transfiguration teacher asked, almost formally, as she turned and walked towards her friend's door.

"In theory, I should be done by then. Save me a seat?" Poppy replied, as she threw her legs over the side of her bed and prepared to stand up.

"Of course, but, for now, the kiddies are awaiting," Minerva said, causing Poppy to laugh.

Poppy dressed as quickly as she could, however, she was still tired and had to pause occasionally in her routine to get ready. She attempted to walk into the Hospital Wing confidently, because she wasn't sick and she did not want anyone to fuss over her needlessly. Since she was not sick, she had used a glamour charm to disguise the fact that she may have appeared sick, because she was most definitely not sick.

She had reached the back room, used mostly as a potions lab for the Hospital Wing, before she coughed. Had Poppy been thinking clearly, she would have known that the cough gave it away to Madame Joyce that the apprentice was sick.

"Poppy, is that you? Are you quite alright?" Madame Joyce's voice floated through the air, into the small room. Madame Joyce was a very small, skinny woman who seemed almost delicate or weak to someone who did not know her. The staff and students of Hogwarts, however, knew that she was anything but weak when it came to dealing with a sick student or staff member. She could turn into a fierce lioness quite quickly.

"Fine, ma'am, its just a bit of dust," Poppy replied, trying her best to sound healthy.

If Poppy could have seen Madame Joyce's face, she would have known that her lie was not believed, but just at that moment, a group of about five first years walked in, sporting what appeared to be horns as a result of a potions accident.

For the next few hours, both Medi-Witches had their hands full. Poppy was busily trying to brew fever reducer's and Pepper-Up potions, while Madame Joyce handled the difficult task of removing horns. Only after the last little Ravenclaw left did the senior Medi-Witch have a chance to check up on her apprentice.

By this time, Poppy realized that it had been a mistake for her to get up out of bed to come brew the potions. Her head was throbbing, her chest sore from the many coughs she had hidden from her boss with a silencing spell and her knees threatening to give way.

"Poppy, how are you doing with those potions?" Are you about ready to go up to dinner?" Madame Joyce called out as she entered the small room. Inside, the little room was lined with shelves, each shelf contained jars and bottles full of ingredients. Over to one side, there was a large window which let in most of the light for the room. In the center, there were three cauldrons, each over their own flame, arranged in a triangle pattern. Off to one side, there was a table used for preparation of ingredients.

"Almost done," Madame Pomfrey replied, hoarsely, as her boss looked over the cauldron she was currently stirring.

Looking up sharply as soon as she heard her colleague's reply, Madame Joyce asked, "Poppy, have you been feeling unwell?"

"Just a bit tired, is all," she lied, while she was ready to admit to herself that she was ill, she was not going to admit it to anyone else.

"Well, then you wouldn't mind a quick rest while I just finish up these three potions? Go lie down," the older witch ordered in a tone that didn't leave Poppy any room to argue with her. Madame Joyce had been a Medi-Witch long enough to realize that most people in the Healing profession are incredibly stubborn when they are ill, and, most commonly, will refuse to admit to another professional that they are ill.

"Yes ma'am," was all Poppy managed to say before she was being pushed out of the miniature potions lab and into the main Hospital Wing.

As Poppy shuffled her way towards her cot in the office of the Hospital Wing, she was unaware of the gaze of two witches watching her. Minerva had just popped into the Wing to ask if Poppy was ready for dinner, when she saw her friend wearily make her way into the office to lie down. Instead of going after her friend, the Transfiguration teacher went towards the small room off the back of the wing.

"Ah, Minerva, how are you this evening?" the senior Medi-Witch called out to the younger teacher.

"Good, is Poppy alright? She seems awfully tired for having slept through lunch," Minerva asked.

"She hasn't eaten since breakfast? Well, I wouldn't worry about her, I will take care of her. Go head down to dinner, I will have her eat with me this evening. Thank you for checking up on her. Can you please hand me that phial before you go down to dinner? Now off you go, you can come visit her later" Madame Joyce said, as a look of determination set in. Minerva had a hunch that her friend was going to have a stern lecture coming her way.

As soon as all the bottles had been capped, a quick wave of the wand cleaned up the rest of the area. The short Healer, although she was approaching the age of retirement, was still quite capable of ruling her domain: the Hospital Wing. She quietly approached the office, where her colleague was resting. She gently shook the younger Healer awake, before she did her diagnostic scan.

"Poppy, are you awake?" she asked quietly. She could barely hear the small "yes" which was her reply.

"You know that I can't run a scan of you until you give your consent, because you are of age. However, I believe that you probably caught the flu from that first year Hufflepuff that came in last night. May I run a scan?" the senior Healer softly questioned.

"I am just tired, not sick," Poppy sternly retorted, attempting to sit up. Her head pounded as soon as she was sitting, but surely that was from the lack of sleep.

"If you are just tired, then I suggest you get up and join me for dinner. How does roast beef sound to you?" the older witch suggested.

"Would I be able to rest a bit more first?" Poppy softly queried, as she prepared to stand up, "I am not quite hungry just yet." Upon seeing her superior's eyebrow being raised, as if to question why she would not be hungry, she added, "I suppose Minerva told you that I skipped lunch."

"As a matter of fact she did. Are you getting up or am I running a scan?" the determination of the older Healer was wearing down the stubbornness of the younger one.

"Do I get to rest if you run the scan?" Poppy bit back, a little angrily.

"You can only go to sleep after you eat something. However, if you'd prefer something like chicken broth, I would be happy to change the menu," the older witch said as she chuckled softly to herself.

"Run the scan, and chicken broth," Poppy said, less angrily this time, as she reclined back towards her comfortable pillow.

A quick swish of a wand, and the diagnostic scan was done. Small green letters appeared in the air above Poppy: _Fever of 103 degrees, nauseous, headache, cough, and congestion. _

"Its definitely the flu, did I miss anything?"

"A desire to be left alone"

"Well, I am not sure I can help you with that one. Although, provided that your fever doesn't spike, and Minerva agrees to check on you every so often, I could probably be convinced to let you sleep in your own rooms tonight," the elder Healer appeared thoughtful.

"Really?" Poppy asked, as her face lit up at the prospect of sleeping in her own bed.

"Yes, but first, some broth," Madame Joyce gently said as she helped the younger witch sit up, before piling a few pillows behind her back to support her. A few flicks of her wand, and a tray was set up across the small cot, and a bowl of the House Elves finest chicken broth appeared out of nowhere.

Once Minerva had eaten dinner, and had a few words with the Headmaster, she walked back up towards the Hospital Wing.

"Ah, Minerva, there you are. I trust dinner was uneventful. Poppy seems to have contracted the flu. I trust you already had your flu potion for the year?" the old woman started lecturing, and upon seeing the young Transfiguration Master's nod, she continued lecturing on, "Good. I told Poppy that if you agreed to check on her throughout the night, she might be more comfortable in your rooms. Would you be agreeable to that?," another nod, "Shall I teach you how to take her temperature using magic? It is useful to know as a teacher."

The next hour was spent teaching the young, new teacher how to take care of her friend. Minerva secretly thought that this lesson should have been given to her before she started teaching, so that she would be able to take a temperature magically.

With a quick flick of the older witch's wand, and the sleeping Poppy was gently lifted onto an awaiting stretcher. A short walk through the emergency passage way, and the three witches had arrived in the light yellow living room. Madame Joyce gently set down Poppy on her bed and, with another short flick of her wand, Poppy's white robes had been changed into a soft, cotton nightgown. Poppy's yellow and black flannel comforter was gently put on top of her.

As she walked back out towards the living room, where Minerva was sitting, Madame Joyce stated, "I will be back to check on her before curfew. Call the Hospital Wing if you have any problems."

"Alright, thank you for letting Poppy stay here tonight, I know she appreciates it," the Transfiguration teacher said, as she pulled out 3rd year essays to grade.

Minerva and Poppy spent a quiet evening together; every hour the Transfiguration teacher got up and checked her friend, making sure that she was sleeping comfortably. Poppy wasn't even aware that she had been moved to her own room. Secretly, Minerva was relieved that Poppy was being forced to take a much needed break and have someone take care of her for once. Throughout their time at Hogwarts, the three of them had always taken care of each other when one of them was sick or injured. Poppy and Minerva tended to get sick but Rolanda had a knack for falling off of her broom when she did crazy stunts on it. Minerva could only remember Poppy becoming ill twice in the seven years they were students, however, the young Healer was constantly taking care of anyone who came to her with a medical problem. It was time that Minerva repaid her friend for taking care of her all of those years.

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AN: Reviews make the writer write faster! If you have any comments, suggestions or corrections, I would be happy to hear them.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thank you to everyone who read or reviewed!

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'_It's chilly for the end of_ _October_' Rolanda thought, as she walked the long road from the apparition point up to the castle, '_but Hogwarts has always had the best Halloween celebration.'_ It had only been a couple of weeks since she had visited the castle, to finalize her appointment as flying instructor and Quidditch coach; however, she had not seen either one of her roommates during her visit. She was very excited that she was going to room with her best friends, Minerva and Poppy.

"Miss Hooch, Welcome! Here, allow me to get your trunk," Professor Dumbledore, the current Headmaster, graciously offered when he met her at the Entrance gates, his blue eyes twinkling merrily.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Madame Hooch responded, somewhat excitedly.

"Rolanda!" Minerva called as walked from her office towards her shared quarters.

"Minnie!" Rolanda called back. As soon as they were close enough, they gave each other a gigantic hug.

"You ready to deal with the munchkins?" Minerva teased as she showed her new roommate the portrait that guarded the entrance.

"Munchkins! Those won't bother me. You know in America, they have this coffee shop called Dunkin' Donuts and they call the donut holes Munchkins, they are yummy!" Rolanda explained; she had just gotten back from a friendly tournament in America.

Minerva laughed before thanking the Headmaster. Once the Headmaster had left the room, Hooch started spinning around the room.

"Wow, Minnie this room is great! Where is my bedroom?" the flying instructor practically chirped as she skipped through the living room.

"Over here," the usually stern Transfiguration teacher smirked, as she opened a door that led to a circular room. It was painted a medium blue, with a black rug, in honor of Hooch's Ravenclaw loyalty. The four poster bed was located in the center and a statue of a raven sat perched on the top of the wardrobe. The flying teacher's favorite addition, however, was the large charmed window that was currently overlooking the Quidditch pitch.

"I love this castle," Rolanda began as she explored the rest of the quarters.

"Rolanda? Is that you?" Poppy Pomfrey called as she walked through the passage that led from the Hospital Wing into the sunny yellow living room of her quarters.

"Right here, Poppy? Did you know that we have the most beautiful quarters in the whole castle?"

Chuckling a little to herself, Poppy said "I knew that Rolanda," before she ended up in a small coughing fit.

Rolanda spun around and went, "Are you sick, Poppy? And don't tell me it was dust!"

"She came down with a particularly nasty strain of the flu about three weeks ago and still has a lingering cough," Minerva answered, cutting Poppy off.

"The fierce Pomfrey was sick?" was the surprised reply.

"They wouldn't let me get out of a bed for a week!" whined Poppy.

"Oh, so now you how it feels to be stuck in one of your beds when you feel as though you might go crazy if you are stuck in bed any more. Please remember that feeling the next time one of us complains loudly about being stuck in bed," Rolanda scolded, with a smirk.

"Are you hungry, Rolanda?" Minerva inquired, after watching the verbal battle.

"Is she hungry? She is always hungry!" Poppy retorted.

The three friends went up to the Great Hall for some dinner, and they laughed and shared various stories back and forth.

"Ah, Minerva, might I have a word?" Professor Dumbledore called as the trio prepared to leave the Great Hall.

"Of course, Headmaster," she replied, walking towards him as she waved off her friends, telling them to go back to their shared quarters without her.

"Walk with me towards my office. Do you think you would be able to help Professor Flitwick charm the pumpkins for the Halloween Feast? I know Charms isn't your Mastery," he said as he popped a lemon drop into his mouth.

"Of course. I love the pumpkins! Is there a special charm I need to know?" she happily answered.

"I am sure Filius would be happy to teach it to you. Can you meet him this Friday, the first period after lunch? I believe you have a free period then." The gargoyles that guarded his office slid open to reveal the spiral staircase.

"Of course, if that is all?" Upon seeing his nod, "Good Evening, Headmaster," she said politely, with an air of dignity.

Minerva walked back to her quarters, tired. While she was very happy to have Rolanda at school now, her friend tended to be a bundle of energy and after a full day of teaching, Minerva was simply exhausted, and, as always, had a pile of essays to grade. Plus, there was a suspicious bounding in her temples that felt like a headache building.

"Minnie! Let's go out for a couple of drinks at the Three Broomsticks!" Rolanda bounced on the Transfiguration teacher as soon as Minerva was through the portrait.

"No."

"But, Minnie! Poppy couldn't go because she is on night shift and now you don't want to go. Please? Just this once?" whined the Quidditch star.

"Rolanda, I have taught five periods of class today, after doing rounds last night. I still have the third year essays to grade and the fifth year quizzes. I don't have the time, or the energy, to go out tonight. I'm sorry, but I'm just exhausted," she snapped.

"You two are too serious about your work!" and with that, the new flying instructor stomped out of the quarters, grabbing her traveling cloak as she went.

"_Why me_?" Minerva thought to herself before she wearily sunk down onto the couch in front of the fireplace, as she whispered "Incendio" to create a small raging fire in the fireplace. She summoned her stack of essays and a red quill and began to grade.

A couple of hours later, Poppy's head appeared in the floo.

"Minnie, where is Rolanda? She promised to come up here so that I could give her the flu preventative potion before she started teaching," the Medi-Witch asked.

Sighing, the exhausted Transfiguration teacher, looked up from her grading and replied, "I honestly don't know, Poppy. She stormed out of here a couple of hours ago after I refused to go out for drinks with her."

"Minerva" her friend started in a lecturing tone, before Minerva could hear someone else enter the Hospital Wing and call for Madame Joyce, "Got to run, See you in the morning."

"Madame Joyce, are you in here?" came a young voice, frightened voice called from the entrance of the Hospital Wing.

"She is not here, what do you need?" Madame Pomfrey asked as she came out of her office.

"Oh dear," she muttered to herself, upon seeing two first year Gryffindors cautiously making their way towards the closest bed. One boy seemed to be on the verge of collapse, which he did shortly before reaching the first bed.

Quickly levitating the boy onto the bed, she asked, "What happened?" Her wand was already moving in the complicated motion to run a diagnostic scan.

"He tripped through the trick stair coming from the library and fell. He said his right leg is hurting him the most, but I watched him hit his head and he has a bloody nose," the scared young first year boy responded, his uniform covered in his friend's blood.

"Thank you, dear. Would you like to sit down on the bed next to your buddy? If you stay out of my way, you are welcome to stay until I finish, okay?" Poppy responded kindly, knowing that the young boy was frightened but didn't want to leave his friend.

A quick diagnostic scan told Poppy that she urgently needed her mentor's expertise. While she was fairly was almost fully qualified, she knew that she wanted someone fully qualified and experienced to help this critically injured first year.

Drawing out her wand, she quickly produced her serpent patronus, and sent it off to Madame Joyce with a message of urgency. The serpent was her way to represent the Caduceus; the patch on the side of her white robes had the staff with two snakes wrapped around it with wings on top.

Poppy quickly busied herself doing what she could for the boy; conjuring a neck-brace along with a bunch of bandages. She quickly mended his broken nose and gently bandaged it, just when Madame Joyce came sprinting into the Hospital Wing.

"Poppy, what happened?" she panted.

"He fell down the stairs. I ran a scan and it seems as though he his brain is swelling rapidly. He also has a broken leg, it's fractured pretty badly, as well as a broken nose I already mended," Poppy rattled off the diagnosis as she stepped aside and let her boss go to work.

"The leg I can fix. I am afraid to do anything about the brain without a specialist from St. Mungo's. Floo the headmaster and his head of house," she barked at her apprentice. Madame Joyce twisted the ring on her finger, whispered "Rememdium" and instantly a hologram appeared.

"How can St. Mungo's help you today, Madame Joyce?" a pleasant woman's voice sounded from the image.

"I need a neurologist to Hogwarts, now!" the normally call Medi-Witch yelled.

"Healer Martin, St. Mungo's, how can I help you?" a tired voice came through.

"John! Its Roberta, at Hogwarts, I need you here. I have a kid whose brain swelling!" she roared, impatient with how long it was taking, "Use the emergency portkey that St. Mungo's has to Hogwarts. Would you hurry already?"

Meanwhile, Poppy had come out of the office to fetch the patient's young friend, who was curled up in a ball, watching Madame Joyce work with wide, worried eyes.

"Hey," she started softly, "why don't you come in the office for a few minutes? I promise we can come back later, alright?"

"What is your friend's name?" Madame Pomfrey asked gently, when the boy was sitting on her cot in the office.

"J-Joseph G-Gluck" he stuttered out.

"What about your name?" she replied, quickly writing down the patient's name on a piece of parchment.

"Scott Tonks"

"And you are both in Gryffindor?"

"Yes, ma'am. Is he going to be alright?" he pleaded.

"Of course, he is in the best hands," she tried to reassure him, "Just lie down here for a little while, okay?"

"Headmaster's Office!" she yelled into the floo, kneeling down.

"Ah, Poppy how can I help you this evening?" he replied, gracefully kneeling in front of his own fire.

"Joseph Gluck, a first year Gryffindor, fell down the stairs. Madame Joyce is calling in a specialist from St. Mungo's, so be prepared for a portkey to come in. Scott Tonks, another first year lion, brought him in and is still in the wing with us," she panted out quickly, adrenaline now rushing through her system.

"I'll notify Minerva that those two are in the Hospital Wing. Then I will come to the wing," he responded gravely.

"Thank you, Headmaster," she answered before shutting down the connection and turning to the boy next to her.

"Did you get hurt when he fell down the stairs?"

"No, ma'am," Scott managed to get out before a huge yawn.

"But, you are exhausted. Tonight, why don't you stay in the Hospital Wing? That way, you can see your friend before breakfast in the morning, how does that sound? C'mon, I'll get you a light dose of Dreamless Sleep potion," she kindly replied, knowing that the boy would probably have nightmares after seeing such a bloody mess.

She gently scooped up the almost-asleep young boy and placed him on a bed on the other side of the wing. A gentle flick of the wand and he was changed into comfortable flannel pajamas and he quickly laid down, his eye lids drooping. The young almost Medi-Witch quickly made her way over to the potions cabinet, grabbed the lightest dose of Dreamless Sleep they had and spelled into the boy's system.

Just then, Healer Martin strode into the Hospital Wing, carrying his emergency medical bag with him. He was followed closely by the Headmaster. Poppy rushed out to assist.

Minerva yawned as she put aside her third years' essays. Now that those were corrected, she stood up, stretched, before she leisurely made her way over the potions shelf in the shared bathroom. Those essays, most being complete off the point in addition to being poorly written, had intensified the headache she had developed after dinner.

"_Rolanda, I sure hope you aren't doing anything completely stupid_," she mused as she browsed the shelf. Spying the potion she wanted, she grabbed it and swallowed it, grimacing at the taste.

"Minerva! Are you in here?" the Headmaster's voice filled their quarters, but he sounded unusually urgent and not like him, so she rushed over the floo.

"Yes, Headmaster?" she queried, puzzled by his expression.

"One of your lions, I believe Poppy said his name was Joseph Gluck, has been seriously injured falling down the stairs. Please come to the Hospital Wing," he said before breaking off the connection.

Without thinking, Minerva rushed out of the living room and through the secret passage, rushing into the Hospital Wing and not carrying about the fact that her usual tight bun had fallen out.

"Poppy, what happened?" Minerva finally managed to get out, shock overwhelming her. Also, she noticed that another one of her lions was asleep in a bed on the other side of the wing. The Healer from St. Mungo's and Madame Joyce were clustered around the injured boy's bed, muttering to themselves and casting spells left and right.

"Young Joseph there apparently fell down a trick stair when he was coming from the library. His buddy, Scott Tonks over there, was with him and brought him in. I gave Tonks a light dose of Dreamless Sleep, he should sleep through the night," Poppy answered, emotion finally catching up with her.

The three, Poppy, the Headmaster and Minerva, stood back and eventually sat on a nearby bed as they watched the other two work furiously.

"Why is there a Healer from St. Mungo's here? Is he so critically injured that Madame Joyce couldn't handle it?" Minerva asked worriedly.

"Ah, Professor McGonagall, why don't we discuss this back in your quarters? I am sure that Madame Joyce will summon us when they have done all they can for the night?" the Headmaster gently suggested to the frightened teacher.

"Actually, Headmaster, I believe we are finished here. We have done all we can do for him, for now. John, pleasure working with you, thank you for your invaluable assistance," Madame Joyce said tiredly as she began cleaning up with her wand.

"He isn't out of the woods yet. I will return tomorrow around ten, if that is alright with you?" he replied.

"Of course, I'll open the floo to allow you access," she responded, before sighing greatly.

"Good night, Roberta, Madame Pomfrey, Headmaster, Professor McGonagall," he too sighed.

Madame Pomfrey walked him to the floo, again thanked him for the help and returned back to the small group clustered around the bed of one small boy.

"Pomfrey, I am going to stay here for the night and monitor him. What was wrong with the other kid?" the boss of the Hospital Wing barked out, a little harsher than she intended.

"He was just shaken up. I gave him the ten millimeter dosage of Dreamless Sleep and promised he could visit his friend before he leaves tomorrow. He was never going to sleep if I sent him back to the common room," the apprentice replied, long used to her boss' occasionally harsh nature.

"Oh! I should go check on my little lions. I don't want them all worrying over where their roommates are," Minerva exclaimed before she ran off.

"Speaking of pretty shaken up, she looks both exhausted and worried. Poppy, I want you to stay in your quarters tonight, and watch her, understand me?" came the wry comment from the elder witch, once the door had closed behind the young teacher.

"This is my shift, are you sure you don't me to stay…" the young witch started.

"If I wanted you to stay, I wouldn't have told you to stay with her tonight," Madame Joyce barked, "and be sure to bring a couple of calming draughts and sleeping draughts back to your quarters. This can be a very traumatic experience for a young teacher, such as herself." The Headmaster watched the exchange silently, for he knew that someday Madame Pomfrey would be a fierce and confident as her mentor but for now she was still learning.

"Can you inform us of his condition, Madame Joyce? I will need to owl his parents," Headmaster commented when the two matrons were done have their animated discussion.

"He made a very hard impact on the stone steps, which eventually caused his brain to swell. We have managed to stop the swelling and we are waiting for the swelling to begin to recede. He currently as a breathing charm, because we have placed him in a healing coma. His parents are more than welcome to come stay, we have a small set of rooms off to the side where they can stay until he recovers," she sighed, as she finished.

"Thank you, I bid you ladies a good night. I shall be back before breakfast. Please don't hesitate to call me if either one of you has any problems," the Headmaster answered respectfully. He had a great deal of respect for the talent of the elder Medi-Witch.

Soon, he too, had left the Hospital Wing. Poppy gently finished washing the blood off the boy, and cleaned up with her wand. She gently brushed a stray piece of hair out of the boy's face before leaving to grab a couple of phials from the potions cabinet and heading back to her quarters. In the adjacent bed to the boy, Madame Joyce was making herself comfortable for a night of monitoring, with the occasional catnap.

"Good night, Madame Joyce. Please contact me if there is anything else I can do or if there is anything you need," the younger witch said respectfully, before she left the Hospital Wing.

Poppy yawned as she reached their quarters. Gently placing the phials in her coat pocket, so that Minerva would suspect anything, she went over to their small kitchenette to make some tea. Neither one was going to sleep anytime soon, she suspected.

As soon as the tea tray had been placed on the coffee table, Minerva walked through the door.

"Tea! That sounds lovely, thank you, Poppy," Minerva commented tiredly, as she sat down heavily into the couch.

"You're welcome, Minerva," Poppy replied kindly, while expectantly waited for her friend's emotional breakdown to come.

Silently and with a practiced hand, the apprentice laced the tea with a calming draught, her friend never noticed.

"Here you go, nice hot tea," Poppy smiled as she handed the cup over.

"He is so young, he looked so fragile. And he always so cheerful in class," she began before she started sobbing.

"There, there, now," Poppy moved over to the couch and started rubbing her friend's back, "He'll be okay, you'll see. Drink you tea, Minnie, there you go," she reassured her friend.

Eventually, the Gryffindor Head of House calmed down and her sobs quieted.

"You must think I am a fool, breaking down like this," Minnie said when she relaxed a little bit.

"Actually, Madame Joyce predicted it," Poppy smirked.

"Thanks for making me feel better!" came the retort, but she laughed a little bit. The Transfiguration teacher knew that her eyes were all red and puffy. Her headache was pounding furiously now, and when she looked up towards the fireplace, the clock above her mantle told her that it was almost one in the morning.

"Well, I should probably go to sleep. If I am not here when you wake up, it's probably because I went to check on my lions. All of the first years were huddled in the Common Room when I went in there, poor things! Thank you, Poppy," she replied, truthfully and honestly, but before she could leave she felt two phials thrust into her palm.

"A light sleeping potion and a headache potion. Take them, Minnie," Poppy ordered sternly.

"Yes, Mother. Good Night, mother!" but at least she was smiling.

Poppy heard her friend's bedroom door closed and young Medi-Witch relaxed into the soft leather of the couch. She was grateful that she had laced both her tea and Minerva's tea with the calming draught, as she felt her own emotions even out. She had been trained at Healer's school how to deal with situations where a serious injury was involved and it was often the patient's family and friends that were more of a stress for the Healer than the patient.

"_I wonder what kind of trouble Rolanda got herself into this evening," _Poppy mused as she finished her tea, "_Well, she is a fully capable of-age witch, I am not going to concern myself with it, and I have bigger things to worry about."_

Just as Poppy was finishing her tea, the portrait door swung open, and Rolanda drunkenly walked in.

"Poppy, is that you? My head is swimming," Rolanda half said, half sung, collapsing on the couch beside the unaffected Poppy.

"Good Morning, Rolanda. I do believe I am going to hide the hangover potion from you in the morning," Poppy evilly smirked.

"Hangover, I won't get a hangover!" the Quidditch star protested loudly.

Poppy, who was very sure that Minerva had just gotten to sleep, cast a non-verbal spell around the living room before she summoned a glass of water and a couple pieces of bread.

"Hey! Why do you get tea and I get boring old water, I want tea!" another protest.

"You don't want it? Alright, don't drink it" Poppy replied as she vanished it, just about when Rolanda fell asleep sprawled all over the couch.

'_The things I do for my friends! Honestly!' _Poppy thought to herself, as she levitated Rolanda to her bed, tucked her in and closed her bedroom door. The exhausted witch collapsed into bed, without even taking off her uniform.

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AN: So, what do you think of Rolanda? Or poor Joseph? Please review and let me know what you think!!


	4. Chapter 4

AN:Thank you to everyone who is sticking with me through slow updates. Big thank you to everyone who reviewed!!

JK Rowling still owns Harry Potter.

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When Rolanda woke up the next morning, she instantly shut her eyes and thought to herself, "_It can't be morning,"_ but as she heard her roommates go about their morning tasks she knew that it must be. Her head was pounding and when she had opened her eyes, she felt like she was blinded.

"Rise and shine, sleepy one," Poppy's cheery voice called from the other side of her door only a few moments later.

"Did you actually hide that hangover potion?" Rolanda challenged.

"What happened to the philosophy that you weren't going to get a hangover and that you didn't want the water or bread which would have prevented it?" responded the other witch, the door hiding the smirk on her face.

"Just give me the stupid Potion already!" the new flying instructor growled, knowing how much Poppy hated to see her friends in pain, even if they had brought it on to themselves.

"Oh, look at that, it appears we have run out, you are going to have to ask Madam Joyce for more and since she is in a foul mood over last night, I highly doubt she would appreciate such a request from you at this time," Poppy replied, as she finished tying her apron and putting up her hair.

"Well, I'm off to the Hospital Wing! Have a good day! Oh and don't forget, the Headmaster expects you to take breakfast in the Great Hall this morning, you have about forty-five minutes until it starts!" Poppy cheerily departed, leaving a very disgruntled Rolanda hiding under her pillow.

"_Did I really say I didn't want a hangover potion? Good one, Rolanda,"_ she thought, as she dragged herself out of bed.

Once she had changed into appropriate robes and managed to make it as far as the living room, she noticed that Poppy had lied, there was a hangover potion sitting on the coffee table. Gulping it down, she immediately noted that she felt much better.

'I will have to remember to thank Poppy the next time I see her,' she thought to herself once her pounding headache had receded.

Rolanda was headed out of the portrait door towards the Great Hall with five minutes until breakfast began. When she reached the Great Hall, she noted that neither one of her roommates was present at breakfast yet.

"Good Morning, Headmaster," she said respectfully when she approached the Head table.

"Ah, Good Morning, Rolanda," he responded, tapped his plate to make all of the food in the Great Hall appear at once, "I trust you have settled in well?"

"Yes, sir, everything is fine. Those rooms are beautiful," she noted as she pulled out a chair for herself and sat down.

"Your roommates have certainly taken a shine to them," he commented, "Would you happen to have a few moments after breakfast to discuss the finalization of your course?" she nodded, "Good, I will meet you in my office? Say at about 8:15? The password is 'Licorice Wands.'"

Rolanda eagerly tucked into her breakfast, she had forgotten how amazing the house elves at Hogwarts were able to make even simplest food taste. Even though she thoroughly enjoyed her breakfast, she wondered why neither one of her roommates had shown up for the meal, especially when Poppy had been insistent that she get up for it.

As she finished up her meal, she noted that the Headmaster was also preparing to leave to the Great Hall; she rose and escorted him to his office.

Minerva had gotten up early in order to make sure that her House was behaving themselves after last night's excitement. Once she was satisfied that her prefects had everything under control, she swiftly made her way to the Hospital Wing in order to check on the two that had stayed overnight.

"Ah, Minerva, did you sleep well?" Madam Joyce called out as Minerva entered the large doors of the Hospital Wing.

"Fine, thanks to the conspiracy you and Poppy had to get me to take that calming draught," Minerva snorted before continuing in a more dignified manner, "How is Mr. Gluck?"

"He is healing nicely. He will have to be in here for a few more days, at least, before I will even discuss letting him go. That was a very nasty fall," the older witch commented.

"Good to know that he is healing nicely. I see Mr. Tonks is still here," the Transfiguration teacher turned to her student, "Mr. Tonks, are you ready for breakfast in the Great Hall? Maybe later Madam Joyce will let you visit Mr. Gluck this afternoon, alright? I will see you in class," she said kindly.

"Yes, ma'am, thank you" the boy responded as he slid off his bed and went proceeded out the doors.

Minerva watched her young charge go and thought how amazing it was that children bounced back from traumatic experiences.

"Have you eaten Minerva?" Poppy's voice penetrated her thoughts and pulled her back to reality.

"Um, no, actually," the Transfiguration mistress replied.

"Well, why don't you sit down and eat with us?" Madam Joyce offered as she was rifling through the potions cabinet for some reason.

"If its not too much trouble—"

"Nonsense! It's the same House Elves that serve the Great Hall, its not a big deal" the Medi-Witch pronounced.

As they ate, they discussed Poppy's upcoming Medi-Witch qualifying exams. She felt reasonable prepared but was also understandably nervous.

"They start Monday correct? Well, I will try to keep Rolanda out of your hair all weekend so that you can study," Minerva said as their plates were whisked away by the House Elves.

"How, precisely, are you going to do that Minnie? Take her shopping?" Poppy joked, but she knew that it was probably a good idea to keep the overactive Rolanda away from her while she was trying to revise for the exams.

"Quite possibly," Minerva shot back, a mischievous glint to her eye.

"Rolanda, I'm waiting!" the stern transfiguration teacher called from the living room. It was now Saturday morning and Minerva was setting her plan to keep Rolanda out of Poppy's hair for the weekend.

"Precisely where are we going?" Rolanda questioned as she came out of her bedroom, pulling a jumper over her head.

"Diagon Alley, I need to look at a couple of books in person at Flourish and Blotts," she replied.

"So, why I am going?" the other witch replied.

"Because you would never turn down an opportunity to look at the Quidditch shop, besides, if we get our Christmas shopping done now, we won't have to worry about it later. The holidays always approach so quickly at Hogwarts," Minerva commented.

"Whatever you say, Minnie," Rolanda said, as she rolled her eyes. It was true, she never turned down a chance to go look at the newest Quidditch gear and she did need to get a few supplies for the school's supply of Quidditch supplies, but she still didn't understand why she had to come on Saturday morning when she could have been sleeping.

"Poppy do you need anything while we are out?" Minnie asked their other roommate, who was camped out on the couch with her notes and review book.

"Could you get me a new quill and possibly some more ink? I have a feeling I will need them for the exams," Poppy asked as she summoned her money bag. She took out a couple of galleons along with a handful of sickles and gave them to Minerva.

"Sure, you like the eagle quills right? And black walnut ink?" Minerva asked as she tucked the money into her cloak.

"Yup! Thanks," Poppy said before she returned to flipping through her notes.

Rolanda and Minerva walked towards the Headmaster's office, talking and joking with one another. Their plan was to take the floo from the Headmaster's office to Diagon Alley.

"Good morning, Ladies, I do hope that you enjoy your shopping trip," the Headmaster said, his eyes twinkling merrily.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Minerva said before she threw the powder into the flames. When Rolanda stumbled out of the fireplace, she had to sit down for a few minutes because she was coughing harshly and dizzy. She claimed it was just from the floo, Minerva didn't quite believe her, but they went on their way into Diagon Alley proper.

Once the duo had made it to Diagon Alley, Rolanda started acting like a hyper eleven year old whom hadn't seen Diagon Alley yet.

"Minnie, where are we headed first? The Quidditch supply store?" she chirped excitedly.

"No, first ,we are stopping off at Gringotts. Or, since we are both fully grown witches, we could do our shopping separately and meet up at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch?" Minerva suggested, because when she had thought up this plan she had no idea Rolanda would act this hyper.

"Aw, why can't we go to the Quidditch place? Please, Minnie? And let's not separate, its so much more fun to go together!"

"Alright, but you have to promise to act more like an adult than a first year," Minerva smirked.

"Deal," Rolanda answered back, visibly attempting to calm down.

"Gringotts it is then," the transfiguration teacher used her classroom voice on her friend. Although they had been friends since their first day at Hogwarts, Rolanda tended to need a little bit of sternness occasionally to get her to behave in public.

Minerva and Rolanda quickly made their way to Gringotts. Minerva had a couple of things to go over with the goblins about the McGonagall Estate, since she was the current Lady McGonagall. Her business went fairly quickly and soon the two were off to the premier Quidditch shop in Wizarding London, their bags full of money.

"The Headmaster agreed that it would be good for the school to purchase some broom polish, that way I can teach the first years how to care for the brooms. Also, I need a couple of new snitches, new Bludger bats and new quaffles," Rolanda said as they entered the store. Soon, however, Rolanda was easily distracted by the new model of the Nimbus.

"Minnie, look at this broom! It has the best maneuverability there is!" Rolanda bounced as she grabbed her friend's hand and dragged her over towards the broom display. Knowing that this day was about wasting as much time with Rolanda out of the rooms to give Poppy some peace and quiet to get her studying accomplished, Minerva let her friend drool over the new broom before they went and looked at supplies for the new flying class.

"How much polish do you think a first year class would use?" Rolanda questioned Minnie after she had finally left the broom display.

"Rola, why would I know that?" her friend shot back, using pet nickname they had for her.

"How long as it been since you called me Rola?" Rolanda questioned, lifting on eyebrow up.

"I didn't realize it was a banned nickname," Minerva shot back, her lips curled up in amusement.

"Its not" Rolanda answered simply as she picked up a jar of polish to read the ingredients.

"First years will probably use more wax than you would, keep that in mind," Minerva chimed in a couple of moments later.

"Hmmm," was the only reply she got.

It was around noon when Rolanda and Minerva finally exited the Quidditch shop, their purchases having already been forwarded to the Quidditch locker room building at Hogwarts. The Quidditch locker room contained changing rooms for each of the four house teams, plus the school broom storage and Rolanda's office.

"Well, now that we have finished your Quidditich shopping, where should we head next?" Minerva said cheerfully, "We should have some lunch soon, and we still need to buy Poppy her supplies."

"Thank you, mother, for telling me that we need to eat,' Rolanda teased, before she suddenly grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her down a dark side street that led to Knockturn Alley.

"Rolanda! Where are we going?" Minnie hissed at her friend.

"We are going to a jewelry shop I know down here. Is that a problem?" Rolanda said innocently.

"And why are we going there?" she shot back, her voice still lowered in a whisper.

"I also have some business to attend to," Rolanda answered, keeping her voice sounding as innocent as possible.

"You are impossible," Minerva muttered under her breath.

"Why, thank you Minnie!" Rolanda smirked, before ducking into a shop.

"Good Afternoon, ladies. What can I do for you on this lovely day?" the elderly, but sketchy, shopkeeper said, as he bowed to them.

"Good Afternoon. I would like to look at—" but she abruptly stopped her sentence when a young man walked up from the back.

"Father, I have retrieved this item. My apologizes, I didn't realize that you had customers. Miss Hooch, is that you?" the tall, handsome young man said. He chivalrously grasped her hand and brought it up to his mouth to kiss.

"Richard, how nice to see you. I had no idea that your father owned this place," Rolanda said, looking straight into his deep blue eyes, before continuing on, "This is Minerva, a fellow teacher at Hogwarts."

"Minerva, what a pretty name," Richard replied, as he grasped Minerva's hand and also kissed it.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Minerva said politely but she was still creeped out by the building and their location.

"What brings you ladies into the store today?" Richard said, his father having mysteriously disappeared.

"One of our friends is sitting her Medi-Witch exams this week. Do you have any pendants that specifically designed for Healers or Medi-Witches?" Rolanda asked.

"Of course," Richard said and he disappeared in the back.

"Minnie, don't give me that look! I wanted to get Poppy a necklace that would be useful to her in her career. I had no idea this was Richard's father's place," Rolanda said when they were alone.

"And how did you meet Richard?" Minerva questioned her friend.

"I met him at one of the VIP parties I attended last season. It was one of the perks of being on a team that was that famous. Isn't he gorgeous," Rolanda answered, with a very dreamy look on her face.

But before Minerva could answer her back, Richard had reappeared carrying three long boxes.

"This is a necklace with a Rod of Asclepius pendant. It is charmed to protect a healer from the majority hexes and curses that could be thrown in a major battle, allowing the Healer to come and go freely treating patients and not worrying about getting injured," he said as he lifted up the gold necklace. The pendant was made of gold and the snake's eye had rubies in them. It was a beautiful necklace, but not what Rolanda wanted.

Seeing this, Richard moved on the next necklace. "This necklace is made of sterling silver. The pendant is the Caduceus. The rod is made of sterling silver and the snake's eyes are sapphires. The charms on this pendant include charms to ward off contagious illnesses."

"Its perfect," Rolanda said, staring at the necklace, while Minerva agreed next to her. The necklace cost 100 galleons, which the two witches split. They planned to give Poppy the necklace on Friday, after her exams were finished. Richard slipped his floo address to Rolanda with the receipt and watched the two as they left the shop.

As they were leaving the shop, Rolanda had another coughing fit.

"Why don't we get some lunch at the Leaky Cauldron? We can get you some water to drink. You are sure you are okay?" Minnie asked.

"Sure" Rolanda croaked out, between harsh coughs.

"Do me a favor and not tell Poppy about the coughing? I don't want her stressed out over my health right before her exams" Rolanda asked, as they sat down at the Leaky Cauldron.

"As long as you remember to put up silencing spells—you know she can hear a cough from a mile away" Minerva said.

"Alright,' Rolanda agreed.

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AN: Please read and review! Pretty please? If you have any suggestions about what should happen in the next chapter, I would love to hear them.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Thank you to herbyXX120, Healer Pomfrey and teddylonglong, who were the only peole who reviewed!

This chapter is especially dedicated to Healer Pomfrey for her invaluable helping in figuring out where to take this story.

Everything belongs to JK Rowling.

* * *

The two witches finished up their shopping and headed back to the common fireplace where they could floo back to Hogwarts. It was obvious to Minerva that Rolanda wasn't feeling herself, and secretly the Transfiguration teacher believed that Poppy would instantly be able to spot this, exams or not. Rolanda, however, had made her promise to not tell Poppy, and she intended to keep that promise.

"What are you going to do when we get back to Hogwarts?" Minerva asked conversationally.

Rolanda hid a huge yawn behind her hand, before answering, "First, I am going to go organize the new supplies and then possibly I'll fly for a little while before dinner."

"Just don't get a chill—you wouldn't want to make your cough worse, living with Poppy you should realize how hard it is to hide being sick," she lectured.

"Minnie- I know already!" Rolanda said exasperatedly before throwing the floo powder in the fireplace.

"Hogwarts-Headmaster's Office!" the flying instructor managed to say clearly. Minerva followed a couple of moments after her.

"Good Afternoon, ladies. I trust that you had a pleasant time shopping?" the Headmaster greeted them kindly, before popping a lemon drop into his mouth.

Eyeing Rolanda for any signs of weakness, Minerva answered him, "Yes, Headmaster, it was wonderful. Thank you for letting us go. Have a good day." She put her arm around Rolanda and steered her friend until they had made it all the way down the spiral staircase.

"You okay, Rola?"

"Just a bit dizzy back there, thank you for helping me."

"Do me a favor and don't go flying this afternoon? I don't want you falling off your broom, that would definitely alert Poppy that something is up," Minerva commented dryly.

"Yes, Mother Minnie," Rolanda was quickly becoming frustrating with all of Minerva's fussing over her.

They went their separate ways, Minerva back to their quarters, and Rolanda down to the Quidditch pitch.

"Poppy! I'm back!" Minerva called when she entered their quarters.

"Minnie! How was your shopping trip?" Poppy exclaimed when her roommate entered.

"It was pretty good. Here are your quills and ink. How is your studying going?"

"Thanks, you're the best! I manage to revise a good portion of my notes on Healing potions," Poppy chatted away, "Where is Rolanda?"

"She went to go put away the supplies she bought for the Quidditch teams. She should be back up here in a little while," Minerva responded, "I am going to go grade essays. You know how to find me if you need me!"

"Of course, don't be too harsh on those poor kiddies," Poppy teased lightly.

Minerva stretched before she sat down at her desk to grade the third year essays on transfiguring teacups. She spent the rest of the afternoon marking and only after the sun set did she make her way back to her quarters, in order to go get changed for dinner. The sight that greeted her was interesting, to say the least. Poppy had her hands on her hips and was glaring threateningly at Rolanda.

"_Woah! What happened here?"_ she mused to herself as she cautiously closed the door to their quarters.

"Good evening, Poppy, Rolanda," the transfiguration teacher decided to go the polite route.

"Minerva, I sure hope you didn't know about this," Poppy said, turning her glare from Rolanda to Minerva.

"If you could kindly fill me in on what's going…" Minerva started but she was cut off by Rolanda.

"Poppy heard me coughing and overreacted," Rolanda impatiently, and loudly, said.

"_That explains a lot, but I have feeling I will disagree with Rolanda on this one," _ Minerva thought.

"I did not overreact, Rolanda, you are ill and you know it!" Poppy responded angrily, her voice rising with each word, frustrated by her friend's ignorance of her own condition.

"Well, I suggest that we all get ready to go down to dinner. After dinner, we can come back up here and discuss this civilly, like the adults that we are," Minerva lectured in her teacher's voice as she rubbed her temples to help relieve the headache that she had developed when she was grading. When she was finished grading, she had expected to come back to a quiet room so that she could change into her robes to go to down to dinner.

"You had better not be sick as well!" Poppy began to lecture her.

"Poppy, it's a headache, that's all. Just go get changed for dinner," she responded tiredly. Sometimes, she really wouldn't mind having her own quarters.

Groaning inwardly at the antics of her roommates, Minerva made her way through the living room to her Gryffindor-decorated bedroom. She wearily flopped down on top of bed and thought about what would happen if she took a nap instead of going to dinner.

"_First, Poppy would come charging in and demand that I eat something. Next, Rolanda would start complaining about how it wasn't fair that I was constantly nagging her about her health all day when I was sick myself,"_ a voice inside of her head helpfully supplied.

She dragged herself out of bed and stretched, before yawning widely. As she was putting on her robes, and putting her hair up into her strict teaching bun, she decided that she would make an early night of it.

Feeling slightly better, picked up her wand and slid it into the left sleeve of her robes.

"_Oh no! I have rounds tonight, so much for a good night's sleep,_" she thought before sighing and going back out into the living room.

"What took you so long, Minnie?" Rolanda cheerfully asked, her apparent argument with Poppy already forgotten.

"You are usually the first one changed!" Poppy helpfully commented from Minerva's other side.

"You two have forgotten your argument already?" Minerva said, as she rolled her eyes.

"Yup! Got it all resolved!" Rola chirped.

"_How did they manage that one?"_ Minerva thought to herself, shaking her head slightly.

"How can you be that hyper? Actually, on second thought, don't answer that. Lets just go down to dinner" the normally stern professor replied.

The three friends made their way down to dinner. The Headmaster greeted them cordially and they sat down at their places. Although the House-elves had prepared an excellent dinner, Poppy noticed that Rolanda didn't eat anything but Minerva appeared to have tried to eat a little.

Once dinner was over, the three witches silently made their way back to their quarters, each lost in her own thoughts.

When they came back to their quarters, they settled in for the night around the fire. Poppy started a fire with her wand and then conjured up a tea service, before sitting herself down on the couch. After throwing her robes down and changing into a house robe, Rolanda joined her, curled up in a ball in one of the wing backed chairs. Minerva did something similar, coming out in her tartan robe and fluffy slippers. Poppy eyed them both carefully, as they settled into opposite chairs.

"Is this the part where we discuss our argument civilly?" Rolanda asked, already sounding sleepy.

"Yes," Minerva replied as she accepted a hot cup of tea and cradled between her hands, "Care to tell me what it was about?"

"I heard Rola coughing harshly in her room so then I went into her room and asked her what was wrong. She kept protesting that she was fine and that it was dust, but I didn't believe her. So, I performed a basic diagnostic charm on her when she had her back turned. She was, and probably still is running a high fever. My guess is that its bronchitis or something similar, however, I can't tell unless I run a more complicated charm which I need her consent for," Poppy said, "Before we went down to dinner, I did get to her consent to take pepper-up, which is why she seemed so hyper right before dinner."

Rolanda let out a series of harsh coughs then and instantly Poppy was kneeling beside her with a glass of water, gently rubbing her back to help her regain control.

Hoarsely, Rolanda said, "We didn't want you to worry about me right before your exams. You should be focused on those, I can go seek out Madame Joyce tomorrow."

"So Minerva knew?"

"It was hard to disguise her dizziness in the floo or the coughs she let out at lunch. At least I managed to convince her to not go flying this afternoon," Minerva said softly.

Poppy sighed and glanced at the large clock above the fireplace, which read seven o'clock. She knew that she should get some work done revising for her exams but she was also extremely worried about Rolanda. Perhaps she could put Rolanda to bed and then get some studying done.

Poppy leaned back on her heels, and said," What I would like to do is run a full diagnostic scan on both of you. Admit it, Minnie, you aren't feeling quiet yourself right now. But I will need your consent to do that." Both of the other witches just nodded.

Poppy went into full healer mode, conjuring paper and a dicta-quill in an instant. She started on Rolanda, waving her wand in a complicated series of motions and muttering latin under her breath. After a few moments, the quill began furiously scratching on the parchment. The soon to be Medi-Witch waited until the quill was done before snapping up the parchment.

"Rola, you seem to have developed a lung infection from an untreated cold. Your fever is about 103 (39.4) degrees for the moment, but that is going to have to be monitored closely. After I check Minnie, I will go to the Hospital Wing and grab a couple of potions which will make you feel a lot better. Also, I am going to tell Madam Joyce about your condition, with my exams coming up I won't be the one in charge of your care, she will be. Let's get you into bed, shall we?" she said kindly, extending a hand to Rolanda to help her up and bring her to bed.

Minerva watched the duo and thought that someday Poppy would make an absolute wonderful Medi-Witch for children, especially at a school like Hogwarts where first years were lonely. Rolanda might have been a full adult, but when she was sick or tired she acted more like an eleven year old child than a twenty-five year old adult.

Poppy walked back into the living room and scrutinized Minerva closely.

"Yes, Poppy?" the other witch questioned, before calmly taking a sip of her tea.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"She asked me not to. We didn't want you to stress over that on top of your exams, we know how much these exams mean for your future," Minnie responded, "Weren't you going to do a diagnostic scan of me?"

"Right," Poppy distractedly muttered, before going through the same procedure. She was much more relieved by the scan of Minerva.

"Nothing more than a simple cold. Pepper up should be able to take care of that, no problem. Drink your fluids, rest tomorrow, you should be fine by Monday. I do want you in bed early tonight, no reading or grading long into the night," Poppy lectured.

"Yes, Mother Poppy, but I do have rounds this evening from midnight until three." Minerva smirked as she vanished the tea set. She gracefully rose out of her seat and made her way towards her bedroom.

"Alright, just get as much sleep as you can. I will be sure to wake you for your midnight rounds. Good night, Minnie," Poppy responded, as she made her way over the portrait that led towards the Hospital Wing.

"Thank you, Poppy, for looking after us," Minerva said as Poppy prepared to disappear down the hallway to the Hospital Wing.

"Just doing my job, Minnie," was the reply before they went their separate ways.

Poppy made her way down the short tunnel that lead to the Hospital Wing, and Madam Joyce immediately spotted her.

"Poppy! What brings you here?" the motherly but fierce woman asked.

"Rolanda, one of my roommates, seems to have come down with a lung infection. I put her in bed but I don't have the necessary potions to clear it up. Also, do you have an immunity potion for it? I don't want poor Minerva to catch this, since she has a cold right now," Poppy explained.

"A lung infection, you say? Do you think that you are going to be able to manage taking care of them on top of revising for and taking your exams?"

"That was one favor I would like to ask you- would you be able to take over their care? Normally, I am the one to care for them but I tried to explain to them that I was running short on time this week. This is such a horrible time for them to become ill!"

"Deep breath, Poppy. Of course I will take care of them- that is my job. I am the school Medi-Witch- I take care of both students and faculty. Since this is your week off, their care falls into my hands anyway. Don't stress about them, please. Focus on your exams. It will do your roomates no good to see you stress over their health on top of those exams. Now, grab two fever-reducers, a cough suppressant, an immune system booster and a pepper-up and lets go examine these roomates of yours," the elderly woman reassured her apprentice.

"Thank you so much Madam Joyce!"

With a quick flick of her wand, a charm was placed on the Hospital Wing doors that would send a patronus-like message to the Medi-Witch if she was needed. Since the ward was empty, Madam Joyce had no problems with leaving the Hospital Wing for a short period of time.

They quickly and quietly made their way back to the set of rooms. When they opened the door, they noticed how peacefully quiet the suite was. Quietly they made their way over to Rolanda's bedroom, and then Poppy gently rapped on the door.

"Rolanda? Can we come in?" she whispered.

"Sure," a voice croaked from the other side of the door.

Rolanda had changed into her pajamas and was curled up under her warm comforter. There was a big box of tissues and a glass of water which Poppy had placed on her nightstand before she left to go get potions.

"Are you more comfortable now? I brought Madam Joyce with me," Poppy said softly, as she used her wand to add a little bit of light to the room, and put the vials she brought with her on the nightstand.

"Hello, Rolanda. I heard you aren't feeling so hot. I am going to run a scan, if that's okay with you?"

Rolanda nodded slightly to the Medi-Witch who took out her wand and performed another diagnostic charm.

"Fever of 104 (40) degrees, chest congestion, dizziness, headache," she muttered to herself.

"That's higher than when I checked her a little awhile ago," Poppy commented from beside her, as she conjured a wet cloth and started bathing her friend's face.

Her mentor gave her a stern look and pointed towards the door, which Poppy correctly understood to be a dismissal from the room. Wearily, she grabbed her notes that she was revising before dinner and settled back on the couch to continue studying.

A little while, Madam Joyce walked out of the room and sat beside Poppy.

"Poppy, I realize that she is your friend and that you have been taking care of her since you two met. However, you are leaving for London tomorrow afternoon- no protesting- and I will be in charge of her care. Part of being a Medi-Witch is knowing when to be in Healer mode and when to be a concerned friend. I thank you for noticing how ill she was and putting her to bed, and for your information that her fever was climbing. She currently has a bracelet that will alert me, and me only, if her fever goes any higher. Now, what did you say about Minerva? That she has a cold?" the Medi-Witch gently lectured her apprentice.

"I ran a diagnostic of her right after I put Rola to bed. She had a slightly elevated fever, a headache, and what appeared to be the beginnings of a cold. I am worried about her because she spent all day with Rolanda and with her immune system weakened she could easily catch that infection from Rolanda," Poppy commented, before sighing to herself.

"Alright, I will go run a diagnostic of her as well, and then give her some Pepper-up and the immunity potion. You did the right thing, calling me, you couldn't handle the two of them and your exams."

"They actually tried to hide Rolanda's illness from me so that I wouldn't stress about it on top of my exams," Poppy replied.

Her mentor squeezed her shoulder before standing up and walking towards the Head of Gryffindor's bedroom.

The Medi-Witch gently knocked on the door and asked, "Minerva? Its Madam Joyce, may I come in?"

"Yes," the transfiguration teacher gently said, but her voice sounded clear. When the door was opened, Minerva was under the covers in her tartan nightgown but was reading the latest issue of _Transfiguration Monthly_.

After she entered, the Medi-Witch conjured her a box of tissues and summoned a glass of water for her.

"How are you feeling?"

" I am feeling pretty good, apart from a slight headache. I wish I didn't have rounds tonight, it would be lovely to not have to get up again in a few hours," she answered honestly.

"What time do you have rounds?"

"Midnight to three."

"I am going to run a scan of you, is that alright?"

"Sure"

The Medi-Witch ran a scan of the other witch, and noticed that her fever seemed a little more than evalated to her.

"I am going to slide a wristband on you, it will alert me if you fever climbs," the Medi-Witch explained.

"I'm feverish?" Minerva asked in surprise.

"Slightly, with Rolanda being as ill as she is and you being exposed to her while your own immune system was weakened we just want to be extra careful. I am going to give you some Pepper-up and then a potion meant to boost your immune system. I will be back through out the night to check on Rolanda, and will stop by in here as well. I will wake you about eleven thirty for your rounds," the elderly witch smiled at the younger one.

"What about Poppy? What is she up to?" she asked urgently.

"Poppy is going to revise for her exams, and right now is playing the role of concerned friend. Do let me know if she tries to treat you as a patient."

This relaxed Minerva, who didn't want to be a burden on her friend who was rapidly approaching the biggest exams of her life. Madame Joyce gave her the potions.

"Rest well, Minerva," Madame Joyce said from the doorway.

"Thank you," she responded, before drifting off to sleep.

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AN: Please read and review!


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Sorry for the short chapter but more is coming soon, I promise.

Everything still belongs to JK Rowling.

* * *

Madam Joyce was pleased to see that both of her two patients were resting comfortably when she checked on them about a half hour later. Poppy was sprawled on the couch, looking over her notes when the current Medi-Witch walked back into the living room.

"How is your revising going?" the elder witch asked kindly, before gently sitting on a nearby chair.

"It is going pretty well. You know, they never covered how to be a concerned friend sitting on the sidelines when your friends are sick," Poppy answered.

"Well, that comes with experience. Are you excited to see your parents again?"

"Well, I might be staying at their townhouse in London but I won't see them, they went on an extended trip to North America. They left a couple of weeks ago," Poppy remarked.

"At least, you will have a quiet place to study. Do you want me to quiz you on types of common illnesses?" Madam Joyce helpfully offered.

"Yes, please."

Medi-Witches had to be familiar with illnesses, their treatments, emergency procedures and many other types of possible situations. Healers were considered the highest form of medical personnel in the magical world, with Medi-Witches being the second highest rank. Madam Joyce had first qualified for her Medi-Witch rank and then moved on to also obtain her Healer rank. Both ranks had the ability to write prescriptions for various potions.

After studying for a few hours, Madam Joyce looked up at the clock above the mantle.

"I am going to go check on Miss Rolanda and Miss Minerva. Are you planning on heading to bed soon?"

"Packing up my notes right now. Good Night, Madam Joyce."

Just then, Madam Joyce's wand began to vibrate, an indication that either Rolanda's or Minerva's wrist band had gone off. A flick of her wand told her that it was Minerva's wrist band. Poppy looked on, her eyes filled with concern.

"Good night, Poppy. I'm sure we will cross paths before you leave tomorrow," Madam Joyce said kindly, as she hurriedly got up and proceeded into Minerva's room.

As she entered the Head of Gryffindor's room, she immediately noticed that the Transfiguration teacher's forehead was covered in sweat. Her wrist band was flashing red, an indication that her fever went from low to midgrade. The wrist band flashed anytime a fever climbed more one degree in three hours.

A quick glance at the wrist band told the Healer that the professor's temperature was 101 degrees (38.3 C). Madam Joyce performed a complex diagnostic charm, however, it didn't give her any additional information. She had thought that it was a simple cold, as had Poppy, but most witches didn't have a fever that high with a simple cold. Since her diagnostic charm wasn't particularly helpful, Madam Joyce guessed that it was a severe cold, which might explain why the fever was higher than normal.

Quietly she conjured a cloth, charmed it to stay cool and gently placed it on Minerva's forehead, who stirred at the cold touch.

"Poppy?" she mumbled.

"No dear, its Madam Joyce. How are you feeling?"

"My head still hurts. What time is it? Time for rounds?"

"You are not going on rounds tonight, dear."

"But I need to do rounds, I am not that bad. I have nothing to do tomorrow, I can sleep all day," Minerva protested, as she struggled to sit up.

Madam Joyce sighed and pushed Minerva back down into her bed.

"You still have forty-five minutes until your rounds begin. I will call the Headmaster and ask him to excuse you from rounds. If he can't find anyone else to do it, then I will have to let you up. Deal?" the Healer asked as she readjusted the cool cloth on the professor's head.

"Deal" Minerva muttered, her heading aching less now that she was lying down again.

Madam Joyce walked out of the living room and made her way towards the Hospital Wing. While the three roommates had an Internal Floo in their fireplace, Madam Joyce did not want Poppy to overhear how ill her roommate was, it would only serve to worry the younger witch.

When she reached the Hospital Wing office, she knelt down and threw some powder into the fireplace.

"Headmaster's office!" she called.

"Ah! Madam Joyce! I am assuming at this hour this is not a mere social call," the Headmaster answered, his blue twinkling eyes obvious even in the floo.

"No, it's not a social call," she responded, chuckling to herself before continuing on, "I wanted to ask you if you knew of any staff members that might be able to cover Minerva's rounds this evening."

"If everything alright? She and Miss Hooch were just in my office this afternoon, I have to admit they seemed a little bit off color then."

"I would rather not let her out of her bed at the present time," she admitted.

His twinkling blue eyes stopped twinkling and he looked rather serious.

"Is she seriously ill?"

"Yes, but I can't tell you more than that, with confidentiality and all."

"I understand, where is she?"

"Her quarters. Rolanda is fairly ill as well," Madam Joyce said simply.

"Alright, I shall ask Mr. Filch if he would like to do some rounds with Mrs. Norris tonight. Thank you for notifying me. I trust that you will keep me updated?" he asked in an uncharacteristic serious tone.

"Of course, Headmaster," she answered formally, before she ended the connection. She and the Headmaster were friends, however they tended to stick to formal titles when discussing school business.

Once she had her answer for Minerva, she grabbed a couple more fever reducers and headed back towards the shared quarters. The wards on the quarters allowed her entrance, and she also had a password that allowed her access to any Common Room or teacher's quarters.

"Minerva?" Madam Joyce asked softly when she had entered Minerva's room.

"Hmmm? Do I need to get up for rounds?"

"No, the Headmaster is going to have Argus do rounds for you. Can you sit up to take this fever reducer for me?"

After managing to drink the whole entire bottle, Minerva collapsed back into bed. After readjusting the cool cloth on the Transfiguration teacher's forehead, Madame Joyce got up and quietly closed her door.

She walked past Poppy's room and was satisfied to her apprentice's even breathing coming from the other side of the door. Next, she reached Rolanda's room.

Rolanda was sleeping, although her breathing sounded slightly labored. Checking the wristband, the Medi-Witch saw that her fever hadn't climbed but the fever reducer did little to lower the fever. She sighed to herself and adjusted the charmed cool cloth on her forehead. Knowing that there was little she could do for the younger witch besides keep her comfortable until her next potions, she decided to just let her sleep. Since everyone was sleeping, Madam Joyce decided that the best course of action was to also try to get some rest. First, she put an alarm on Rolanda and Minerva's room to call her if either of them woke up or needed her in anyway. She went back to the Hospital Wing and fell into an exhausted sleep there.

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AN: Thank you for reading! I promise, there is more coming soon! Please review, it makes my day!


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Thank you to Katamabob, LinZE, teddylonglong and HealerPomfrey for reviewing!

Everything still belongs to JK Rowling.

* * *

Madam Joyce woke up to her wand vibrating.

"Hmm," she said sleepily as she woke up. A flick of her wand told her that Rolanda had just woken up. She got out of bed and wearily made her way towards the quarters that Hooch, McGonagall and Pomfrey shared.

Upon walking into Rolanda's room, she was startled to see Poppy already there, trying to get Rolanda to sit up so she could breathe easier.

"Poppy, I will take it from here. Go sit in the living room, now," she hissed at her apprentice. Poppy looked up in surprise, she hadn't heard her mentor come into the room.

"Yes, Madam Joyce," she said softly and contritely.

Madam Joyce replaced Poppy and helped Rolanda sit up. After Rolanda was sitting up, she conjured a glass of water and gave her a small sip of the water.

"Easy, now, Rolanda. There, how are you feeling?"

"Awful," she managed to get out, as Madam Joyce picked up her wrist to examine the wristband. It currently read 104 F (40 C).

"Well, sleep is the best thing for now. I will be here every time you wake up, so just go to sleep," she said soothingly. Soon, Rolanda slipped back into a healing sleep. Sighing to herself, she got up and walked into the living room, glanced at Poppy and went into Minerva's room. Fortunately, Minerva's fever was down slightly and her breathing still seemed relatively normal. When Madam Joyce returned to the living room, she came and sat down in one of the winged back chairs.

Poppy was sitting in the center of the couch, with her head in her hands.

"Poppy, why were you in there?"

"I woke up when I heard her coughing. I wanted to see if I could assist," she mumbled so softly so that Madam Joyce had to strain to hear what she said. A quick flick of the wand and a one-way silencing charm was put up so that Minerva or Rolanda wouldn't be woken up by their discussion.

"Poppy," she sighed, "Poppy, I understand that it is in your nature to want to help. That is a good thing, and I normally encourage it. However, it is quarter to two in the morning and right now you need as much sleep as you can get. Trust me when I say that these exams are physically as well as mentally taxing. I know that you want to do your grandmother proud, and do so by focusing on your exams right now. I am taking care of them. Did you not think I would put up alarms to alert me if they woke up?"

"I'm sorry, Madam Joyce, I just wanted to help! That's what concerned friends do when their friends are sick. I remember once in seventh year, I got the flu and those two sat up all night with me, trying to make me feel better," Poppy tried to explain. Madam Joyce continued to glare at her.

"I couldn't just ignore her coughing! You weren't here, she sounded like she was choking and I refuse to just sit by and let my friends suffer!" Poppy said angrily.

"Enough, Poppy!" You will go to bed and you will put a silencing charm around your room. In the morning, I will probably bring them to the Hospital Wing in order to more closely monitor them. Bed, now, Poppy," she ordered sternly.

"Yes, ma'am," Poppy said sullenly. She got up silently and went to her room. Madam Joyce sighed and left the quarters and went back to the Hospital Wing.

"_Well, so much for an easy night_," she thought to herself, before she fell back into an exhausted sleep.

Her wand began vibrating only a couple hours later.

"_Again? Already? I wonder what time it is?_" she wondered. She looked up towards the clock sitting on the desk and saw that it was four thirty. Although she didn't want to get up, she knew that she had best go check on her patients, because her wand had yet to stop vibrating. She noted that it was responding to the wristband on Minerva's wrist. As she made her way through the short corridor, she wondered if Poppy had actually managed to sleep or if she had stayed awake worrying over her friends.

Minerva was sweating profusely, the cool cloth having fallen off her forehead. Her wristband was red and flashing, almost angry looking. Looking at it, it showed that Minerva's fever had slowly climbed to 104 degrees (40 C). Minerva also seemed to have developed a cough and a runny nose. The fever made Madam Joyce nervous about her diagnosis, but when she recast the diagnostic charm, it just told her that the teacher had a fever, along with a cough and a runny nose. "_Nothing new to report there_," she thought, but she also had been taught to not always rely on her diagnostic charm to tell her what was wrong. Quietly sighing to herself, Madam Joyce picked up the cool cloth, vanished it and conjured a new one. Deciding it would be best if she spent the remainder of the night at Minerva's bedside, she carefully began bathing the Transfiguration teacher's face.

She thought it might be best if she checked on Rolanda so she quietly tiptoed her way over to the blue and black room. Rolanda was doing a bit better, and her fever was down a bit more. After spelling her potions directly into her stomach, Madam Joyce walked back out into the living room and made her way back to Minerva's quarters.

Poppy woke up to sunshine streaming in from the windows, feeling slightly rested. While she was still very concerned about her friends, she was also very grateful for the rest.

"_It looks like a beautiful day outside_," she thought to herself as she began getting dressed for breakfast. When she walked out of her room, she passed the silencing charm and she was suddenly aware of her mentor comforting Minerva in the bedroom next to hers.

Quietly, she knocked on the door to Minerva's rooms. Madam Joyce, guessing that it was Poppy, opened the door with her wand from where they were sitting.

"Good Morning Madam Joyce. How is she?"

"She definitely could be better. Would you mind running to the Hospital Wing and fetching two Grade 3 fever reducers and two decongestant drafts for me?"

"Of course, ma'am," Poppy said, resisting the urge to demand to know what was wrong with her friend.

Once Poppy had returned with the requested potions, Madam Joyce sent her in to check on Rolanda.

"Can you please administer a fever reducer and decongestant draft to Rolanda? And do another diagnostic charm on her. I can't leave Minerva right now," Madam Joyce said bossily, "Let me know how she is and then we can discuss moving them to the Hospital Wing. Oh and Poppy?"

"Yes, ma'am?" she said from doorway.

"I promise to fill you in after breakfast. I understand your actions last night, and I know you need to know what is going on. I will tell you, but first I would like to move them to the Hospital Wing where I can keep an eye on both of them. Alright, Poppy?" the Medi-Witch explained kindly.

"Yes, thank you for keeping me filled in," Poppy responded politely, before disappearing from view.

Madam Joyce picked up Minerva's wrist and read the wristband- 104 F (40 C). She was unsure why Minerva's fever was still so high, despite all of her efforts to bring it down. With a flick of her wand, she spelled the fever reducer and decongestant draft into the transfiguration teacher's stomach. Next, she conjured a bunch of cold cloths and she placed those around the teacher's neck, under her arms and around her legs. Minerva started shivering at the contact and mumbled incoherently in her sleep. After a few minutes, her fever went down a degree but Madam Joyce was very worried. She put her head in her hands and sighed, it had been a long, hard night and she had developed a headache from the lack of sleep.

"Madam Joyce?" Poppy's voice drifted from the doorway and Madame Joyce looked up, startled.

"Yes, Poppy?"

"Rolanda's fever is still at 104 F (40 C) but I think this will probably be the worst of her days. I think she is stable enough to move," Poppy reported confidently, but it was laced with concern for her friends.

"Alright. Let's move Rolanda first then, Minerva has a very stubborn fever right now and I want to see if it will come down a little before we move her," Madam Joyce wearily replied, ignoring the sudden look of concern that flooded her apprentice's face.

Moving Rolanda was fairly simple, thanks to magic. In less than five minutes, she was settled into a bed in the back of the hospital wing, surrounded by a privacy screen. The privacy screen was standard practice for all staff members who managed to land themselves in the hospital wing. Normally, Madam Joyce went to great length to treat staff members in their quarters.

As they were walking back to the shared quarters, Madam Joyce asked Poppy when she planned on traveling to London.

"I am not sure, I was thinking probably after lunch so that I would have quiet to study in this afternoon," Poppy responded.

"Probably a good plan, although with both of your roommates confined in the Hospital Wing, how loud can your quarters possibly be?"

"Good point, in that case, probably after dinner. I never turn down a Hogwarts meal."

By now they had reached Minerva's bedroom, and they both glanced in to see Minerva resting uneasily.

"Are we going to move Minerva the same way we moved Rolanda?" Poppy asked.

"Yes, but first, I want to check her fever again," Madam Joyce, appearing more worn and exhausted than Poppy had ever seen her. Not wanting to anger her again, Poppy kept her thoughts about this to herself.

Upon glancing at the wristband, Madam Joyce noted that the Transfiguration teacher's fever had finally lowered to a medium fever.

"Finally," the Medi-Witch whispered to herself, before instructing in a normal tone," Lets change her pajamas here before we move her."

"Yes, ma'am."

Working together, it didn't take them long to change her pajamas and put her on a stretcher, in preparation for transport.

"I'll stay here and neaten up the quarters," Poppy said as Madam Joyce used her wand to lift the stretcher.

"No, I want you to accompany me," Madam Joyce said firmly. Startled, Poppy merely nodded.

"_I love magic,"_ Poppy thought to herself as she watched her friend being transported into a bed and tucked in.

"Let us take our breakfast here this morning, we are already late for the meal in the Great Hall," Madam Joyce had suggested once the appropriate monitoring spells had been placed on both patients. Poppy had conjured cool cloths for both of her friend's foreheads, hoping that it would give them each a little comfort.

They sat down to eat, and Poppy eagerly tucked into her breakfast. She had a long night and all of her studying was making her hungry. Her mentor immediately began a mental assault, quizzing her on everything they could possibly cover.

In the middle of their quizzing, Poppy looked up from her breakfast and notes and noticed that her mentor didn't have any food on her plate.

"Madam Joyce?"

"Yes, Poppy? Have you found the answer to that last question I asked you?"

"You don't have any food on your plate. In fact, your plate is suspiciously clean. Are you feeling alright?"

"I am perfectly fine, Poppy. It's just a bit of headache from staying up almost the whole night."

Poppy cleared their dishes away with a flick of the wand and glanced at her mentor. The fierce ruler of the Hospital Wing didn't look too well, but that could easily be explained from lack of sleep.

"You mentioned filling me in on their conditions?" Poppy asked curiously.

Madam Joyce sighed and put her cup of coffee down. To Poppy, she looked more exhausted than Poppy had ever seen her before. "Before I do, I want your word that you will focus on your exams and not stay up worrying over them. Yes, they are ill, but I am sure they would be most angry if they discovered that you had stopped studying for your exams. If I find out that you have stopped focusing, I will stop updating you. Do you understand?" the older witch said sternly.

"Yes, ma'am. I understand that and I give you my word to study and take proper care of myself in preparation of my exams."

"Good. Well, Rolanda has bronchitis, but it seems to responding well to treatment. You were right before, you know, when you said that this will be her worst day. She should be fine by next weekend." Madam Joyce took a sip of her coffee.

"What about Minerva?" Poppy prompted, eager. However, before Madam Joyce could answer her question, the Headmaster appeared in the floo.

"Madam Joyce?"

"Yes, Headmaster?"

"Is this a bad time to come through?"

"No, please come right through. Poppy and I were just finishing our breakfast," she answered before shutting down the floo connection.

"Would you prefer to study for a little while or go sit with your friends?" Madam Joyce asked kindly.

"I think I'll visit with them, see if I can possibly get them to eat a little porridge, if that's alright," Poppy answered.

"Very well. I will come out and join you when I finish with the headmaster."

Just then, the floo flared to life and the Headmaster appeared.

"Good Morning, Roberta, Poppy," the Headmaster greeted.

"Good morning, Headmaster," they said together.

"Poppy, if you'll excuse us," Madam Joyce said pointedly. The apprentice nodded and left the office, headed towards the beds where her roommates were.

"Roberta, was that really necessary?" he said, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Yes, Albus it was. Now, why are you here?"

"Well, I couldn't help but notice that the staff table looked remarkably empty this morning."

"They are both still very ill, but you know I can't divulge any information without their consent."

The Headmaster sighed and peered over his glasses at her. "Are you allowing visitors?"

"Only you and Poppy," she said, smirking as she said that.

"Hogwarts will miss you Roberta."

"I am not gone yet, Headmaster," she replied, leading him towards the privacy screens that shielded the two teachers from the general hustle and bustle of the Hospital Wing.

Poppy was sitting on the side of Rolanda's bed, a bowl of porridge in her hand. Rolanda was propped up using pillows and she was mostly awake.

"Headmaster," she greeted hoarsely.

"Miss Hooch, how are you feeling?"

"Could be better," she managed to get out before coughing. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink, she was embarrassed about having a coughing fit in front of the Headmaster.

Poppy jumped into action and produced a glass of water and helped her friend take a sip.

The Headmaster looked over at Madam Joyce and he could have sworn he detected a hint of pride as Madam Joyce watched Poppy in action. Just then, Madam Joyce's wand began violently vibrating and she hurriedly made her way over towards the other bed.

"What was that?" Rolanda asked, as Poppy tried to feed her more porridge.

"One of Madam Joyce's wards went off and she needed to tend to the patient," Poppy patiently explained. The Headmaster had taken a seat next to Poppy and was patiently waiting for Madam Joyce to return.

"So, Miss Hooch, are you looking forward to the World Cup this year?"

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AN: Thank you for reading, and now that you have gotten to the end, perhaps you could spare a moment to send me a review?


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Thank you to HealerPomfrey, Katamabob, LinZe, tabby-fanny, and teddylonglong for reviewing.

Everything recognizable belongs to JK Rowling.

* * *

Madam Joyce quickly made her way over to Minerva's bed. The Transfiguration teacher's wrist band showed that her fever had climbed to 105 F (40.5 C). As Madam Joyce was repositioning the cloths that were supposed to help lower her fever, she noticed that there was a faint red rash at the base of neck. Frowning to herself, she wondered if maybe it was another clue in the mystery of what was ailing Minerva. Deciding to look for more to the rash, she closed the privacy curtain all the way around the teacher's bed. First, she gently shook the teacher awake.

"Minerva, wake up. We moved you to the Hospital Wing so I can keep a closer eye on you. How are you feeling?" Madam Joyce asked kindly, dimming the lights in that part of the Hospital Wing so that her patient wouldn't be blinded when she opened her eyes.

"My throat and mouth are very sore," Minerva said before she started coughing again, "and I have a really bad headache."

"Can you open your mouth for me? That's good." Madam Joyce used the light from the tip of her wand to peer into Minerva's mouth.

"Thank you," the older witch said when the examination had been finished. "Would you like to go back to sleep now?"

"Yes, please," Minerva mumbled and quickly succumbed to a feverish sleep.

The Medi-Witch conjured some ice compresses and placed them around Minerva's body, hoping to cool the persistent fever. She again tried her diagnostic, but it didn't show any changes.

"Poppy? May I see you in my office for a moment?" the ruler of the Hospital Wing asked when she was done with Minerva. Poppy had been sitting with Rolanda, attempting to get her to eat something.

"Yes, Madam Joyce?"

"Did you Rolanda to eat anything?"

"No, but I thought using the flying broom trick like she was a two year old probably would have mortified her beyond belief, especially in front of the Headmaster."

"Wise decision to not to do that. Has she gone back to sleep?"

"Yes, ma'am. The Headmaster also said he had urgent matters to attend to and he left a minute ago," Poppy reported.

"Good, good."

A few moments later, Poppy hesitantly asked, "Madam Joyce? Would you like me to stay with them for a bit while you catch up on some sleep? With those two asleep, it will be plenty quiet enough to study and I would feel better knowing that they are okay. If anyone else came to the door, then I could come fetch you in an instant."

Madam Joyce sighed and contemplated the offer. She didn't want to place any additional burdens on Poppy right before her exams but she could also really use the nap.

"Very well, but only for two hours. Then, I must insist that you get ready to depart for London."

"Thank you, ma'am," Poppy said, almost excitedly, as she sat down at the desk in the office and went back to her books. Within five minutes, Madam Joyce was dead asleep in her private quarters.

The two hours passed uneventfully. Poppy had gotten up at the one hour mark to check on her roommates but both seemed to be asleep, so she had settled back down to the textbook she was busy trying to memorize for the exams rapidly approaching.

The two hour mark passed and Poppy once again got up and checked on them. Minerva's fever was pretty high so Poppy readjusted the cold compresses and did what she could to comfort her friend. Although she remained restless in her sleep, Minerva never woke up.

Poppy decided to go back to her books, and study until Madam Joyce reappeared. When almost three hours had passed, the apprentice thought that it might be good to go check on her superior. Since Madam Joyce had been very clear that their arrangement had only been for two hours, Poppy was unsure of what to do.

Poppy strode over to her friends, did a quick check of them and then cast an alarm that would alert her, no matter her location, if one of them needed her. Confidently, she strode off to the traditional Healer's quarters, the ones directly off the Hospital Wing.

She knocked three times and then she heard a muffled reply.

"What?"

"Madam Joyce? It's Poppy, you said that you were only going to be two hours and it's been nearly three," Poppy said nervously.

"What time is it?"

"1:50, ma'am."

Poppy heard her mentor swear to herself before calling out, "Thank you, Poppy, I shall be there shortly."

A little while later, a still tired Madam Joyce appeared in the office of the Hospital Wing.

"How are they?"

"Rolanda is having some slight breathing problems, which might be eased if we gave her some supplemental oxygen. I am more worried about Minerva though. Her fever is staying steady at 105 F (40.5 C) and I wish it would come down. To ease her suffering a bit, I placed ice compresses around her body to replace the cool cloths but it hasn't made much of a difference."

Yawning, Madam Joyce stretched before responding, "Very well. Off you go to pack then! I promise to let you see them again before you leave. And I apologize for being so late."

Poppy disappeared into the short corridor, making her way over to her shared quarters. Once she had reached the large rooms, she realized how empty they felt without her roommates there. Quickly and efficiently, thanks to magic, she had her suitcase all packed. Deciding that it was just as easy to go get settled in London early, she made her way back to the Hospital Wing.

"Madam Joyce?" she softly called out when she entered the large room, which she loved working in.

She got no response so she poked her head into the office, where she found Madam Joyce snoozing on the cot. Knowing that her mentor probably needed the rest, she went over to Rolanda's bed. She noticed that Madam Joyce had followed her discussion and Rolanda was getting some additional oxygen through a face mask. It seemed to be working, because Rolanda was breathing easier. Satisfied that she had made the appropriate call, she smiled to herself and moved on to Minerva's bed.

Minerva's fever had come down to 104 F (40 C). Since Poppy was more concerned over her friend's fever than anything else, she didn't notice the rash that faintly covered parts of Minerva's body. She happily noted the reduction in temperature on Minerva's chart before sitting down next to her friend. Over the next few minutes, Poppy bathed her friend's face with a cool cloth, wiping the sweat off of her brow.

When she was done visiting with her friends, the apprentice quietly made her way back to the office where her mentor was sleeping. After a few minutes, she found a spare bit of parchment and wrote:

_Madam Joyce,_

_I have left for my parents' house in London. The floo address is attached, and please do not hesitate to call if you need anything. I hope that you had a nice nap._

_Sincerely, P.P. _

Once the note was left, Poppy made her way back to the shared quarters, grabbed her suitcase and walked the Headmaster's office. From there, she was able to floo directly to her parents' townhouse.

As she walked into the kitchen from the living room, she found a note from her parents, stating how to contact them in case of an emergency, as well as some muggle money to purchase food. As their note had explained, they hadn't known how long she was planning on staying so they didn't want to fill the fridge up with food when they were away for so long. Poppy almost looked excited, she hadn't been grocery shopping in a long time.

She went up the stairs to her old bedroom, which was painted in light pinks and purples and still had unicorns everywhere. When she was ten she had an obsession with unicorns. Since she went to Hogwarts at eleven, she hadn't spent much time in the room and so never thought it was necessary to change the appearance of the room.

She unpacked her things and then decided to venture out into Muggle London. Fortunately, being a half-blood she was able to easily navigate both worlds. Her adventure turned out to be quite uneventful and a couple of hours later she returned, having everything that she would need for the week.

Humming to herself, she used her wand to put her groceries away and was just about to take out her notes when the floor flared to life.

"Poppy! Are you home this time?" Madam Joyce's voice came through almost frantically.

"Right here, Madam Joyce. How may I help you?" Poppy asked politely, even though her mind was screaming "_This time? What is going on at Hogwarts? Information would be nice!"_

"Do you have a few minutes to assist me with something?"

"Of course, I shall be through in a second." And a few minutes later, Poppy was standing in the Hospital Wing, curiously awaiting Madam Joyce to return.

"Ah, Poppy, you're here. Follow me," the Medi-Witch said sternly and then set off at brisk pace.

They arrived at Minerva's beside and Poppy was astonished to see a red rash covering most of her friend's body.

"The measles! I wonder if she caught that when she went to visit the muggle orphanage," Poppy exclaimed.

"You know of this disease?" Madam Joyce asked curiously.

"Of course! There was an outbreak when I was in primary school. It's a muggle disease and it's highly contagious. She'll need to be quarantined."

"That would explain why I have never heard of it, I have never studied muggle medicine. Also, it explains why the diagnostic charm never registered it as being more than a cold."

"Yes, that explains the diagnostic. I will have to go back and check but I think both Rolanda and I are immunized against it, since we have both grown up in the Muggle world."

"However, I highly doubt that I am." Madam Joyce sighed.

"Have you been feeling ill?"

"It's probably just a cold."

"Then you have probably caught the measles, since it starts out feeling like a cold. I must insist that you and Minerva are promptly quarantined. An outbreak would be disastrous."

"But who will watch over the Hospital Wing? You are in the London and if I am quarantined?"

"I will reschedule my exams, there is no other choice. No protesting. We should move Minerva back into our quarters and we can put you in Rolanda's room. We will use those quarters as the quarantine area," Poppy began thinking aloud.

Madam Joyce saw that her apprentice was taking over and for once, she let her. Poppy knew more about the illness and how it would spread, and Madam Joyce didn't really want to move from where she had slumped into a chair next to Minerva's bedside.

"Has Minerva's fever been unresponsive to the magical fever reducers?" Poppy asked as she looked at Minerva's chart at the end of her bed.

"Yes it has, I have been fairly worried about her since it refused to come down."

"When I was in medical school I heard about this. Apparently when a witch or wizard gets a purely muggle illness, the illness interacts with their magic and the only way to help them is to use muggle methods. I will need to ask the Headmaster if he can get some aspirin."

"What is aspirin?"

"A muggle fever reducer and pain medication. It comes in the form of small pills that a patient can swallow."

"Interesting, they manage to combine the pain relief and fever reducers into one small pill?" Madam Joyce asked incredulously.

"I think there is some at my parent's house. I'll grab it when I go back to get my stuff. But, first, let's move Minerva and get you settled into Rolanda's room," Poppy said in her best stern voice. She was very nervous about ordering around her mentor but so far her mentor hadn't objected to it.

"You should probably also notify the Headmaster. Why don't you go speak to him? I can get Minerva back into her old bedroom."

Poppy nodded her head and then went over to the floo in the office.

"Headmaster's office!"

"Madam Pomfrey! What a surprise! Why aren't you in London?" the Headmaster said, very surprised to see her.

"I received an urgent message from Madam Joyce requesting help in the Hospital Wing. Minerva caught the muggle measles and Madam Joyce got it from her. I am turning the shared quarters into a quarantined area. They are both still highly contagious. I also need a large supply of aspirin. I suppose Minerva has been in contact with most of the student body?"

"I will send the house elves out to get aspirin right away."

"Headmaster, you can't send the house elves to get aspirin, they only sell it in muggle stores. I will just go myself in a few minutes!"

"Alright then, Professor Burbage will have to go retrieve it then," the Headmaster conceded; Professor Burbage was the muggle studies professor.

"Thank you. Please have to her deliver it to me as soon as possible. I shall keep you updated." Poppy finished and closed the connection. She sighed to herself and went to go find Madam Joyce.

Madam Joyce had just finished settling in Minerva into her bed when Poppy popped into the room.

"The Headmaster is going to have Professor Burbage get some aspirin so that we will have a supply of it. Before you get into bed, could you please contact St. Mungo's? I have a couple of questions for their contagious disease ward," Poppy reported.

"Of course, Poppy. Let's go back to the Hospital Wing, so that I can contact and fill you in on Rolanda." Madam Joyce suggested.

"_Madam Joyce usually moves a lot faster than this. She must really been feeling horrible to act like this," _Poppy thought as they silently walked along the corridor that lead to the Hospital Wing.

"_Poppy is going to make a wonderful Medi-Witch. She really knows how to take charge of a situation and sort everything out. I am looking forward to retirement." _Madam Joyce mused.

Madam Joyce went into the office of the Hospital Wing and wearily sat down at the edge of the cot. She was just about to twist her ring when they heard a couple of students walk in.

"Madam Joyce?" an older girl called out. Poppy signaled that she would help them while Madam Joyce rested.

About ten minutes later, Poppy reappeared in the office. Madam Joyce had since laid down, in order to give her aching head a rest. When her apprentice reappeared, Madam Joyce looked up curiously.

"A Ravenclaw prefect was bringing in a couple of students who appear to have a severe cold. We really need to contact St. Mungo's and find a way to stem this, so the whole school doesn't come down with the Measles."

"You are right, I assume that you kept the students here for the time being?" Poppy nodded and Madam Joyce twisted her ring and whispered the password.

When the hologram appeared, the woman asked, "How can St. Mungo's help you today, Madam Joyce?"

"We need a consult from the contagious disease ward, please," Madam Joyce said, aware that her voice was beginning to fail.

"Healer Wilson, what do you need?" a young man's face appeared in the hologram.

"Poppy! Is that you?" Madam Joyce's eyebrow raised at Poppy but she didn't comment.

"Eric! We have an outbreak of muggle measles. Is there any way to prevent it from spreading through Hogwarts like wildfire?" Poppy asked, hopeful that her classmate could help them.

"How many people are currently infected?"

"One definite but more are presenting symptoms of the beginning stages. "

The healer at St. Mungo's looked thoughtful for a minute and then said, "We have a brand new anti-viral that is supposed to halt the spread of a virsus."

"How is it administered?" Madam Joyce asked.

"Just a simple potion that is taken or can be placed in a glass of pumpkin juice."

"Well, unless you want an outbreak of it at Hogwarts, I suggest we try it. Would you be so kind as to put together a care kit of muggle medicines to help us treat those already infected?" Madam Joyce said bluntly, before letting a couple of severe coughs.

The two younger people shared a look and then watched the older witch with concern.

"Send it to the Headmaster. Thank you, Eric." Poppy said gratefully after a few minutes.

"Anytime, Miss Pomfrey," the Healer said in a silky voice, causing Poppy to blush. He then ended the connection.

"C'mon, Madam Joyce, I believe it is time for you to get some rest," Poppy whispered, as she helped her mentor stand. Slowly, they made it to the shared quarters. A quick flick of Poppy's wand and the sheets on Rolanda's bed were changed and a cleansing spell had been said over the entire room.

"Do you need anything?" Poppy asked when she tucked her mentor in.

"I'll be alright," Madam Joyce answered hoarsely.

Poppy eyed her with concern and then conjured a glass of water next to her bedside. Next, a wristband appeared on the older witch.

"I do not need a wrist band!" Madam Joyce protested, "I barely even feel ill!"

"No offense, ma'am, but you do. This illness particularly affects those that are older. I just want to be able to monitor you." Poppy said soothingly, as she smoothed the blankets.

"Humph" was the only response that Poppy got. Within a few minutes, Madam Joyce was asleep and Poppy went to go make her report to the Headmaster.

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AN: I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think. I welcome all suggestions and comments. :-)


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Thank you to HealerPomfrey, teddylonglong, Bookworm315, tabby-fanny and Katamabob for reviewing.

Harry Potter still belongs to JK Rowling, I just really wish that I owned it.

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Over the next week, Poppy was very busy running the Hospital Wing. Over twenty students had come down the with the muggle disease, all purebloods who had not be vaccinated. The anti-viral fortunately worked and the epidemic did not spread. The quarantine ward was now an unused hallway that the Headmaster and some other professors had cleaned and transformed into a special room.

"Minerva, you cannot get out of bed," Poppy said tiredly as she brought her friend a bowl of hot soup.

"Nonsense, Poppy! I am much better, thanks to your care, and I want to help you care for all of these students," Minerva protested.

From the bed beside Minerva, Madam Joyce was sitting up, eating her own bowl of soup. She stopped her eating to watch her apprentice attempt to keep one stubborn witch in bed.

"Miss Pomfrey, did you need some assistance?" Eric Wilson asked from behind the apprentice. The Healer from St. Mungo's Contagious Ward had come to assist Poppy with handling all of the cases. For him, working at Hogwarts was something difference plus he got to see Poppy everyday.

"No, thank you, Eric." Poppy smiled at him shyly, which he returned with a broad grin. He walked off to go see to someone else and the two bed-confined witches were smirking at her.

"Miss Pomfrey, huh? So you don't need my help because you have a hot, sexy Healer who came to your rescue?" Minerva teased.

Poppy turned bright red and then ordered, "Eat your soup!" Minerva chuckled before turning to her soup. Madam Joyce joined in Minerva in her laughter. Poppy glared at them before stalking off. The two witches shared a look before turning back to their soup.

After checking several of the other students, Poppy walked from the quarantine ward to the regular Hospital Wing to check on Rolanda. She muttered a spell that disinfected her uniform before going to wash her hands. After she dried her hands, she went to her other best friend's bed.

"Rolanda, wake up, it's time for lunch," Poppy said as she gently shook her friend's shoulder.

"Don't wanna wake up," Rolanda muttered in her sleep, while Poppy rolled her eyes.

"Rolanda!"

"What? Why do I have be awake? I'm sick, you want me to rest, no?" Rolanda argued, still half asleep.

"Rest and eat. Now, here is some soup," Poppy placed the bowl on the tray over Rolanda's bed.

Rolanda let out a couple of harsh coughs, as she struggled to sit up.

"That cough still bothering you? Would you like some more cough medicine?" Poppy offered gently.

"I think it is just lingering a bit. How soon can I fly again?" Rolanda wanted to fly, and she soon forgot she was supposed to be eating.

"Let's get you out of the Hospital first, okay?"

"And when will that happen?"

"Later today because your fever is gone. If you eat lunch," she glared when she said this.

"Yay! Thank you for taking care of me, Poppy."

"Just doing my job," the apprentice brushed off the gratitude. Rolanda began eating but she soon became bored with just eating and decided to pester her best friend.

"You look exhausted."

"Caring for over twenty people for a week will do that to a person, Rola," Poppy replied, using the nickname she and Minerva had made for the flying instructor when they were still students.

"What 'bout your exams?" Rolanda coughed again and Poppy conjured a glass of water for her.

"Start a week from today."

"Thank you. Why did you move them? Wasn't Madam Joyce around to help you?"

"When is the last time that you saw Madam Joyce?"

"Uh, um, when the Headmaster came to chat and you tried to feed me breakfast."

Rolanda was silent for a moment as Poppy worked around her, generally cleaning the area.

"So what happened to Madam Joyce?"

"She caught the Measles from Minerva and is currently still in quarantine," Poppy patiently replied.

"Oh."

"Asking me questions to get you out of eating is not going to work. Eat."

"Only if you stay here and talk to me. I am lonely. And bored."

"How about I eat my lunch with you?" Poppy responded as she summoned another bowl of soup for herself. The two witches ate and gossiped. Once they were done and Poppy had cleared away the remnants of their meal, Rolanda found her eyelids drooping.

"You are going to make an excellent Medi-Witch, Poppy," Rolanda mumbled sleepily.

For the second time that day, Poppy felt herself blushing from a comment of one of her patients.

"Poppy, a little help over here!" Eric called and she quickly rushed to the entrance of the Hospital Wing.

"Yes, Eric?" she asked politely when she got there.

"Well, Accidental Magical Reversal was never my strong suit," he answered as he lamely gestured toward the two students. One had horns growing on the top of his head and the other was vomiting slugs.

"Oh for goodness sakes! I hope you two weren't dueling!" she scolded as she led them to two beds.

"Who brought you in here?" she demanded of the second-year Ravenclaw with horns.

"The Headmaster was coming around the corner when we were dueling, and he sent us here," he replied, terrified of her temper.

"Did he take points?"

"Yes, ma'am. He took 10 from Ravenclaw and 10 from Slytherin."

"What's your name?"

"Charles Boot."

"And you are second year- Ravenclaw?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Poppy waved her wand and summoned two charts and a quill to her. She filled one out, performed the counter-curse to the horns and he jumped off the bed.

"I will be informing Professor Flitwick about this," she said as he began to walk away.

The student merely shrugged as he disappeared behind the oak doors.

"Honestly, Eric, I think you could have handled that one."

"I wanted to watch you work. What about the other kid?"

"He is just going to have to wait it out. There isn't anything I can do for him."

"Poor kid."

"That's what you get for dueling. Besides, I seem to remember that when we were in med. School you had a fair temper yourself, especially when drunk," Poppy replied, holding out the other chart for him to hold while she disinfected herself.

"Weren't you going to see to a patient?"

"Yes, you were definitely a Slytherin in school," she said. She grabbed the chart he had been holding and disappeared behind the second curtain.

He chuckled and slowly walked back to the Quarantine ward, his hands deep in his pockets.

"_Definitely going to have to find a time when we can go out for dinner or something, once this mess is over and she is done with her exams,"_ he thought to himself.

A few days later, Minerva was released, although she was under strict orders to rest every so often. She was overjoyed to be back in the classroom teaching, although the students were unhappy to lose their free period.

While she was still stuck in Quarantine Ward, Madam Joyce had forced Poppy to sit down with her and discuss the exams and Madam Joyce's upcoming retirement.

"Poppy, don't be silly! Of course you are ready to take your exams!" Madam Joyce exclaimed upon hearing Poppy's statement that she needed a lot more time to prepare.

"I haven't had any time at all to study. I need to go back and review so many different things."

"I think that if you are capable of handling over twenty patients with a contagious disease that you are more than ready for your exams. You should definitely take them next week.

"There will still be some students in the Ward, am I supposed to just leave them?"

"Nonsense! I will be around to take care of them."

"You must rest though, you are still feverish and…"

"By next week, I do believe that I will be not only off of bed rest but also capable of taking care of the remaining students. Although, I was hoping that you would decide to stay at Hogwarts so you would be around in the evenings and nights."

Poppy sighed and she still believed that she wasn't quite ready yet. Her mentor believed in her and that counted for a lot in Poppy's opinion.

"Alright, I will go inform the examination board that I will be ready by next Monday," Poppy told her mentor a few minutes later. Poppy expertly glanced at her mentor's wristband, confirming that the fever was under control and hadn't risen while they were talking.

"Go, I am fine. Stop fussing over me."

"Of course you are, ma'am. However, I would be lacking in my job if I didn't check. Promise that you will rest."

"As if I can do anything else while I am confined to bed."

"I am serious, Madam Joyce."

"I know you are, and I promise to rest if you go talk to them."

"Rest well." Poppy stood up, notified Eric that she was going to make a floo call and proceeded back to the main Hospital Wing. She quietly slipped into the office and made her call.

Now that both Rolanda and Minerva had been released, they were both enjoying living in the shared quarters.

"Do we have any plans for that necklace?" Rolanda asked while they were both sharing their morning tea during one of Minerva's free periods.

"Well, we could give it to her now, she did just save the school from a measles epidemic," Minerva commented as she sipped her tea.

"But I think it would be more appropriate to give it to her when she passes her exams," Rolanda retorted.

"I suppose you are right," Minerva answered.

"When are you supposed to start teaching your flying class to first years?"

"That doesn't start until next fall but I am going to offer an advanced Quidditch theory class for any student who is interested. Once it warms up a bit," Roland gestured to the window that overlooked the grounds, "I will also offer a training lab, giving students a place to practice to build confidence and skills, allowing them to work up to getting on a House team."

"Sounds innovative, you always were so natural on a broom," Minerva said dryly.

"Well, that might come from being a professional Quidditch player, but who knows, it could just be pure luck." The two witches collapsed into a fit of giggles at this proclamation. Eventually, they both started coughing for they both had lingering coughs.

"I tell you two to rest and this is what you call resting! Gossiping like two fourth years!" Poppy threw up her hands and scowled at the two. She had just entered the quarters to grab her notes to catch a few minutes of study time.

"What were you two giggling about anyway?" she asked, as one of her eyebrows lifted. This just set the other two back into giggling fits. Giving up, she retrieved the notes and when she returned to the common room, they were back to coughing.

"Coughs are still lingering?" Concerned, she put down her notes on the end table and whipped out her wand.

"Relax," cough, "Poppy, we aren't going to fall," cough, "over dead," Rolanda managed to get out.

"Doesn't mean I don't want to check you!" Poppy huffed and continued as she hadn't been interrupted. Her charm showed that they were indeed coughing, however, it was just a minor fit from the giggling. Her solution was to conjure two glasses of water, which she pressed into their hands.

She sat in-between her friends, rubbing their backs until they calmed down. Minerva was the first to speak.

"Thank you, Poppy. You should go study."

From the other side, Rolanda chimed it, "Yup, go study! You have only 6 more days until exams start!"

Poppy became pale, hurriedly grabbed her notes and ran out of the room.

"Rolanda! That wasn't very nice!" Minerva snapped.

"Sorry, mother," but Rolanda didn't seem very sorry.

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AN: Thank you for reading. What was your favorite part of the chapter? If you liked it, please let me know. If you have any suggestions for future chapters or comments on how I can improve my writing, I would greatly appreciate it!


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